Leptotes plinius
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Leptotes plinius, the zebra blue or plumbago blue, is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in Sri Lanka, India to Australia. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. This form closely resembles, in both sexes, on the upperside of Tarucus theophrastus, but the character and disposition of the markings on the underside are completely different.
Male upperside: dark violet with, in certain lights, a rich blue suffusion. Forewing: no discocellular black spot so conspicuous as in T. theophrastus; terminal margin with a narrow edging of fuscous black, widest at the apex, gradually decreasing to the tornus, followed by an inconspicuous anteciliary jet-black line. Hindwing: costal margin slightly but broadly shaded with fuscous, which is continued as a slender anteciliary black line to the tornus. Underside: white. Forewing: with the following brownish-black markings: an irregular edging along the costa to near the apex from which extends downwards a subbasal band, broadened across the cell and below it; an irregular band that extends along the discocellulars and below them to interspace 1 where it ends in a point; an upper discal curved... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Springbrook National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Zebra Blue sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 124 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 96th most-seen of the 742 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.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Zebra Blue in Sydney on a given day, against under 5% in July to December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Zebra 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.
28th of 33
Of the 33 cities where we can rate Zebra Blue sightings, Sydney ranks 28th at about 10%. The best odds are in Rajkot (India, about 40%), Vadodara (India, about 30%) and Jabalpur (India, about 30%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Zebra Blue that you can see in Sydney (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Lesser Grass Blue (about 10%) and Zizina labradus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Zebra Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Sydney (124 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.
