Riley's skolly

These dull looking butterflies are very unique. There are currently 27 Thestor species known, all present in South Africa and 26 of these present only in South Africa. They have a non-functional proboscis and therefore do not feed during their butterfly stage. The females lay their eggs near Pugnacious ants, Anoplolepsis custodiens. The larvae shelters inside the ants nest, feeding on ant brood and is also fed by the ants by trophallaxis. These butterflies live in small colonies and are hard to find.