Vivid Pierrot

Tarucus thespis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae

Also called: Fynbos Blue, Vivid Blue, Vivid Dotted Blue

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.

Males have a wingspan of about 20 to 25 mm and females 20 to 27 mm. The caterpillars feed on Phylica imberbis and on species of Saxifraga.

How to recognize it

Tarucus thespis is a butterfly in the Lycaenidae family, commonly called the fynbos blue or vivid blue.

Males have a wingspan of 20 to 25 mm; females are slightly larger at 20 to 27 mm.

Larvae feed on the plants Phylica imberbis and various Saxifraga species.

Adults can be seen year-round, peaking in spring (Sept-Nov) and late summer (Feb-Mar).

Its range is limited to South Africa, covering the Northern Cape, Western Cape fynbos, and the Eastern Cape's Amathole Mountains.

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.