Stugeta bowkeri
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Stugeta bowkeri, the Bowker's sapphire, Bowker's marbled sapphire or Bowker's tailed blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in most of southern Africa. The wingspan is 26–32 mm for males and 29–41 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to May, with peaks in October and March.
Larvae of subspecies bowkeri and henningi feed on Viscum rotundifolium. Larvae of subspecies tearei have been recorded on Ximenia afra and X. americana, Viscum rotundifolium and Tapinanthus quinquangulus. Other recorded food plants include Loranthus species (including L. elegans and L. oleaefolius) and other Tapinanthus and Ximenia species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Bright Marbled Sapphire sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 272nd most-seen of the 316 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and December–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bright Marbled Sapphire in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–September and November, the lowest months. Those are among iSimangaliso Wetland Park's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against 30 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bright Marbled Sapphire sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Bright Marbled Sapphire sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kruger National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Bright Marbled Sapphire that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Common Hairstreak (about 20%), Forest Hairtail (about 20%) and African Grass Blue (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bright Marbled Sapphire is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
