Chrysoritis thysbe

Chrysoritis thysbe, the opal copper or common opal, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa.

The wingspan is 24–32 mm for males and 23–35 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round with peaks in October and March.

The larvae feed on Chrysanthemoides incana, C. monilifera, Osteospermum polygaloides, Lebeckia plukenetiana, Aspalathus, Zygophyllum and Thesium species. They are attended to by Crematogaster peringueyi ants.

Subspecies

 * Chrysoritis thysbe (nominate subspecies)
 * Range: Cape Peninsula to Mossel Bay, north to Lamberts Bay, inland to Piketberg and Citrusdal


 * Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. osbecki (Aurivillius, 1882)
 * Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. psyche (Pennington, 1967)
 * Range: from Bitterfontein south to Nardouwsberg in the Western Cape


 * Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. bamptoni (Dickson, 1976)
 * (This subspecies was formerly treated as the species Chrysoritis bamptoni)
 * Range: Hondeklipbaai area, inland to Wallekraal in the Northern Cape


 * Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. schloszae (Dickson, 1994)
 * Range: Moorreesburg area in the Western Cape


 * Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. whitei (Dickson, 1994)
 * Range: Port Elizabeth area in the Eastern Cape


 * Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. mithras (Pringle, 1995)
 * Range: Stilbaai to Brenton-on-Sea in the Western Cape