Castalius melaena
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th most-seen of the 748 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.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Castalius melaena in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to February, the lowest months. That is one of Kruger National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 110 mm in February.
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.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Castalius melaena sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (South Africa, about 10%) and Pilanesberg National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Castalius melaena that you can see in Kruger National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Leaden Hairtail (about 10%), Axiocerses perion (about 10%) and African Grass Blue (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 Kruger National Park (36 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.
