''Phasis thero'', the silver arrowhead or hooked copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in South Africa. The wingspan is 31–46 mm for males and 38–47 mm females. Adults of subspecies ''P. t. thero'' are on wing from September to November and again from March to May in two generations. Adults of subspecies ''P. t. cedarbergae'' are on wing from October to November and probably also in autumn. The larvae feed on ''

Rhus Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Eas ...

undulata'' and ''

Melianthus major ''Melianthus major'', the giant honey flower or ''kruidjie-roer-my-nie'' (Afrikaans for 'herb-touch-me-not'), is a species of flowering plant in the family Francoaceae. It is an evergreen suckering shrub, endemic to South Africa and naturalised ...

''. Larvae have been found inside hollow stems of their food plant, but also in nests of '' Crematogaster peringueyi'' ants at the base of these stems.

Subspecies

*''Phasis thero thero'' (from the Cape Peninsula, north along coast to Lambert's Bay, east to Knysna) *''Phasis thero cedarbergae'' Dickson & Wykeham, 1974 (

Cederberg The Cederberg mountains are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam cedar (''Widdringtonia wallichii''), which is a tree end ...

and Gifberg)

References

Butterflies described in 1764 Phasis (butterfly) Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Butterflies of Africa {{Aphnaeini-stub