''Chrysoritis uranus'', the Uranus opal, is a

lycaenid Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly ...

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

that is found only in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 24–30 mm for males and 25–32 mm for females. Flight period has several broods from October to April. The larvae feed on ''

Centella ''Centella'' is a genus of 53 species of flowering plants in the subfamily Mackinlayoideae. The genus is sometimes placed in family Araliaceae; however, recent studies utilising molecular data place ''Centella'' within Apiaceae. Species * ...

'', ''

Aspalathus ''Aspalathus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The yellow flowers and spiny habit of some species have suggested a resemblance to ''Ulex europaeus'', the thorny " English gorse" Accordingly, "Cape Gorse" has been proposed ...

'', and ''

Zygophyllum ''Zygophyllum'' is the type genus of the flowering plant family Zygophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ζυγόν (''zygon''), meaning "double", and φυλλον (''phyllon''), meaning "leaf". It refers to the leaves ...

'' species. They are attended to by ''

Crematogaster ''Crematogaster'' is an ecologically diverse genus of ants found worldwide, which are characterised by a distinctive heart-shaped gaster (abdomen), which gives them one of their common names, the Saint Valentine ant. Members of this genus are ...

liengmei'' ants.

Subspecies

*''Chrysoritis uranus uranus'' – South Africa: Western Cape *''Chrysoritis uranus schoemani'' (Heath, 1994) – South Africa: Western Cape

References

Butterflies described in 1962 Chrysoritis Endemic butterflies of South Africa {{Aphnaeini-stub