Leaden Hairtail

Leaden Hairtail

Anthene amarah

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Pretoria

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

8 Verified sightings at Pretoria
251 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Leaden Hairtail

Anthene amarah, the black-striped hairtail, leaden hairtail or leaden ciliate blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in tropical Africa and Arabia (up to Aqaba). The habitat consists of savanna and occasionally open areas in the forest zone.

The wingspan is 21–26 mm for males and 23–29 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round, with a peak in summer. The larvae feed on Acacia species, including and Acacia karroo, Acacia sieberana, and Vachellia gerrardi. They are associated with a number of ants, including Crematogaster bequaerti var. saga, Lepisiota affinis, Camponotus, and Myrmicaria species. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
2 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
3 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
5 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
6 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Leaden Hairtail in Pretoria?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Leaden Hairtail sighting in Pretoria on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 162nd most-seen of the 274 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Leaden Hairtail in Pretoria?

January–May and November

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Leaden Hairtail in Pretoria on a given day, against under 5% in June–October and December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Leaden Hairtail?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Leaden Hairtail sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Leaden Hairtail?

Only Pretoria, in our data

Pretoria is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Leaden Hairtail sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Leaden Hairtail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Leaden Hairtail is recorded against all the insects logged in Pretoria (8 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.

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