Chrysoritis thysbe
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Chrysoritis thysbe, the opal copper or common opal, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa. The wingspan is 24–32 mm for males and 23–35 mm for females. Adults are on wing year-round with peaks in October and March.
The larvae feed on Chrysanthemoides incana, C. monilifera, Osteospermum polygaloides, Lebeckia plukenetiana, Aspalathus, Zygophyllum and Thesium species. The pupa of C. thysbe osbecki is found on the trunk of various plants like Tylecodon paniculatus, Roepera and Thesium species, all attended to by Crematogaster peringueyi ants, similar to C. thysbe psyche.
Range: from Bitterfontein south to Nardouwsberg in the Western Cape Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. bamptoni (Dickson, 1976) (This subspecies was formerly treated as the species Chrysoritis bamptoni) Range: Hondeklipbaai area, inland to Wallekraal in the Northern Cape
Chrysoritis thysbe subsp. schloszae (Dickson... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Opal sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 90 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 344 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.
September to April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Opal in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to August, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Opal 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 2 parks where we can rate Common Opal sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Common Opal that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are African Grass Blue (about 10%), Water Geranium Bronze (about 10%) and Geranium Bronze (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Opal is recorded against all the insects logged in Table Mountain National Park (90 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.
