Heliophorus epicles
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
Heliophorus epicles, commonly known as the purple sapphire, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Asia. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Godart in 1823. The subspecies of Heliophorus epicles are:
Apart from that they can be found from Kumaon in the Himalayas to southern Myanmar. They mainly inhabit in dense forest region. List of butterflies of India List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae) Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. Gaonkar, Harish (1996). Butterflies of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Sapphire sighting in Namdapha National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 71 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.
November
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Purple Sapphire in Namdapha National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month. That is one of Namdapha National Park's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain against 660 mm in July. June to August have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Purple Sapphire sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Purple Sapphire sightings, Namdapha National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Manas National Park (India, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Purple Sapphire that you can see in Namdapha National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Elbowed Pierrot (about 60%), Fluffy Tit (about 50%) and Common Tit (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Purple Sapphire is recorded against all the insects logged in Namdapha National Park (13 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.
