Orachrysops niobe
Encyclopedia
Orachrysops niobe, or the Brenton Blue butterfly is a species of butterfly
in the Lycaenidae
family. It is endemic to South Africa
.
The wingspan
is 24-38 mm for males and 22-42 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to November and from February to March. There are two generations per year.
The larvae of the first two instars feed on the leaves and later instars on the rootstock of Indigofera erecta. The larvae can be found in holes at the base of their host plant. They are attended to by Camponotus baynei ants.
It was discovered in 1858 by Roland Trimen
at Knysna
in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
. It was not seen again until 1977, when Dr Jonathan Ball of Cape Town
found a population at Nature's Valley
50 km to the east of Knysna
. This population died out during the 1980s but in 1991 Ernest Pringle of Bedford in the Eastern Cape Province located another colony at Brenton-on-Sea near Knysna
. A housing development was planned for this site, but this was prevented after a highly publicised campaign to save the species from extinction. This resulted in the procurement of the land on which the butterfly breeds by the South African Government and its proclamation as a Special Nature Reserve in July 2003.
The butterfly is the type species
of the genus
Orachrysops
, and is Red Listed as Critically Endangered
. The Special Nature Reserve at Brenton is managed by CapeNature, assisted by a management committee and informed by research conducted by Dave Edge of Knysna
. This research studied the life cycle
of the Brenton Blue and all the ecological factors that impact on its survival including geology
, microclimate
, vegetation communities, ant interactions (myrmecophily
), and the biology of its larval food plant Indigofera
erecta Thunberg.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is endemic to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 24-38 mm for males and 22-42 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to November and from February to March. There are two generations per year.
The larvae of the first two instars feed on the leaves and later instars on the rootstock of Indigofera erecta. The larvae can be found in holes at the base of their host plant. They are attended to by Camponotus baynei ants.
It was discovered in 1858 by Roland Trimen
Roland Trimen
Roland Trimen FRS was a British-South African entomologist, best-known for South African Butterflies , a collaborative work with Colonel James Henry Bowker....
at Knysna
Knysna
Knysna is a town with 76,431 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route. It lies 34 degrees south of the equator, and is 72 kilometres east from the town of George on the N2 highway, and 25 kilometres west of Plettenberg Bay on the same road.-History:A...
in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was not seen again until 1977, when Dr Jonathan Ball of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
found a population at Nature's Valley
Nature's Valley
Nature's Valley is a holiday resort and small village on the Garden Route along the southern Cape coast of South Africa, tucked between the Soutrivier, the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, the Indian Ocean and the Groot River lagoon...
50 km to the east of Knysna
Knysna
Knysna is a town with 76,431 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route. It lies 34 degrees south of the equator, and is 72 kilometres east from the town of George on the N2 highway, and 25 kilometres west of Plettenberg Bay on the same road.-History:A...
. This population died out during the 1980s but in 1991 Ernest Pringle of Bedford in the Eastern Cape Province located another colony at Brenton-on-Sea near Knysna
Knysna
Knysna is a town with 76,431 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route. It lies 34 degrees south of the equator, and is 72 kilometres east from the town of George on the N2 highway, and 25 kilometres west of Plettenberg Bay on the same road.-History:A...
. A housing development was planned for this site, but this was prevented after a highly publicised campaign to save the species from extinction. This resulted in the procurement of the land on which the butterfly breeds by the South African Government and its proclamation as a Special Nature Reserve in July 2003.
The butterfly is the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Orachrysops
Orachrysops
Orachrysops is a genus of butterfly in the Lycaenidae family.-Species:* Orachrysops ariadne * Orachrysops brinkmani Heath, 1997* Orachrysops lacrimosa * Orachrysops mijburghi Henning & Henning, 1994...
, and is Red Listed as Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
. The Special Nature Reserve at Brenton is managed by CapeNature, assisted by a management committee and informed by research conducted by Dave Edge of Knysna
Knysna
Knysna is a town with 76,431 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route. It lies 34 degrees south of the equator, and is 72 kilometres east from the town of George on the N2 highway, and 25 kilometres west of Plettenberg Bay on the same road.-History:A...
. This research studied the life cycle
Biological life cycle
A life cycle is a period involving all different generations of a species succeeding each other through means of reproduction, whether through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction...
of the Brenton Blue and all the ecological factors that impact on its survival including geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, microclimate
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
, vegetation communities, ant interactions (myrmecophily
Myrmecophily
Myrmecophily is the term applied to positive interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms such as plants, arthropods, and fungi...
), and the biology of its larval food plant Indigofera
Indigofera
Indigofera is a large genus of about 700 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Fabaceae.The species are mostly shrubs, though some are herbaceous, and a few can become small trees up to tall. Most are dry-season or winter deciduous. The leaves are pinnate with 5–31 leaflets and the...
erecta Thunberg.