Zizula hylax
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Zizula hylax, the tiny grass blue, is a species of blue butterfly. Male upperside: dull violet blue, which changes to a brighter tint of violet in certain lights. Forewing: the costa very narrowly, the termen much more broadly dull brown; this edging to the termen in most specimens decreases in width from apex to tornus, and is outwardly followed by an anteciliary darker brown line. Cilia brownish anteriorly, posteriorly brownish at the base with the apical portions white. Hindwing: the ground colour brighter than on the forewing, the costal and terminal margins much more narrowly edged with brown, which edging is merged in the anteciliary dark brown line. Cilia: brown along their basal halves, white apically.
Underside: grey. Forewing: a dusky brown lunular line on the discocellulars; two subcostal spots above the cell, one on either side of the discocellular lunule; a very strongly curved discal series of five spots, of which the posterior three are somewhat lunular in shape and placed obliquely en echelon, the next above these hook shaped, the anterior spot round; both the subcostal spots and the spots of the discal series are black, each narrowly encircled with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Daintree National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tiny Grass Blue sighting in Madurai on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 19 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Tiny Grass Blue in Madurai on a given day, against about 10% in November to June, the lowest months. That is one of Madurai's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 10 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tiny Grass Blue sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 45 cities where we can rate Tiny Grass Blue sightings, Madurai ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Salem (India, about 40%).
Same order: Lepidoptera
The closest relatives of the Tiny Grass Blue that you can see in Madurai (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Plain Tiger Butterfly (about 40%), Lime Swallowtail (about 40%) and Lemon Pansy (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tiny Grass Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Madurai (10 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.
