Phasis thero
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Phasis thero, the silver arrowhead or hooked copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa. The wingspan is 31–46 mm for males and 38–47 mm females. Adults of subspecies P. t. thero are on wing from September to November and again from March to May in two generations. Adults of subspecies P. t. cedarbergae are on wing from October to November and probably also in autumn.
The larvae feed on Rhus undulata and Melianthus major. Larvae have been found inside hollow stems of their food plant, but also in nests of Crematogaster peringueyi ants at the base of these stems. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Arrowhead sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 180th most-seen of the 344 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Silver Arrowhead in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Silver Arrowhead sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Silver Arrowhead sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 20%), West Coast National Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Silver Arrowhead 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 Silver Arrowhead is recorded against all the insects logged in Table Mountain National Park (15 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.
