Zintha


Zintha is a butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae. It is monotypic, with the only species being Zintha hintza, the blue-eyed Pierrot, blue pied Pierrot or Hintza blue. The pied Pierrots proper are the closely related genus Tuxentius, however, and like Zintha they were formerly included in Castalius.

Description

The wingspan is 24–28 mm for males and 24–27 mm for females. Adults are on wing from September to April.

Food plants

The larvae feed on Ziziphus species, including Z. zeheriana and Z. mucronata.

Distribution and subspecies

This butterfly occurs in tropical eastern and southern Africa. Three subspecies are recognized: