Restricted purple sapphire
Males of this small butterfly flash a deep, glossy purple that all but vanishes when the wings close, leaving only a plain yellow underside with red crescents.
| Where | Forest edges across South and Southeast Asia |
|---|---|
| Size | 15 to 18 mm forewing length |
| When | February to November |
The Restricted purple sapphire is a small butterfly whose males show lustrous purple patches on an otherwise dark upperside, while females carry an orange band instead. Both sexes have a yellow underside marked with red crescent-shaped lines.
Caterpillars feed on the leaves of Chinese knotweed, and the species occurs from lowland to mid-elevation forest edges. It is easily confused with its closest relatives and was long grouped with them before being told apart in detail.
Traits
Habitat
Woodland
Colour
Black, Orange, Blue
Active
Day
To people
Visits flowers, rotting fruit and dung; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The white mark in the forewing's second space is straight in the Restricted purple sapphire but forms a slight chevron in the Purple sapphire.
Questions
Is the Restricted purple sapphire dangerous to people?
Visits flowers, rotting fruit and dung; harmless to people.
When can you see the Restricted purple sapphire?
The Restricted purple sapphire can be seen from February to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Swiss Natural History Collections - SwissNatColl, CC BY 4.0, GBIF Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Blues and coppers›Heliophorus
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.