01 September 2018

Common Three Ring – Wadi Thee Ghazal

Whilst birdwatching the Wadi Thee Ghazal area of Taif in the Mountains of western Saudi Arabia, I came across and photographed a Common Three Ring Ypthima asterope. It is also known as the African ringlet and is a species of Satyrinaebutterfly found in most dry areas of Africa and Asia. The wingspan is 30–34 mm in males and 32–38 mm in females. Adults are on wing year-round. They were common at a single location where a small wet area existed in a very dry wadi bottom, where a number of other species of butterfly were also seen.