Castalius melaena
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Tuxentius melaena, the black pie or dark pied Pierrot, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Africa. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Castalius melaena sighting in Durban on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 152nd most-seen of the 401 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and May–August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Castalius melaena in Durban on a given day, against under 5% in April and September–February, the lowest months. Those are among Durban's driest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Castalius melaena sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Castalius melaena sightings, Durban has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Pretoria (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Castalius melaena that you can see in Durban (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are African Grass Blue (about 20%), Bush Bronze (about 10%) and Common Hairstreak (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Castalius melaena is recorded against all the insects logged in Durban (15 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
