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Thestor petra

species of insect

Specimen drawers, botanical folios and brass scientific instruments under study light
Science and natureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionOct 5, 2025
Entity authorityQ5466227 ↗
Source-derived summary

Thestor petra, the rock skolly, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is endemic to South Africa.

The wingspan is 22–28 mm for males and 26–34 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late November to January. There is one generation per year.

Subspecies

Thestor petra petra (Western Cape on the Gydoberg, Tierberg, Matroosberg and Skurweberg mountains around Ceres)

Thestor petra tempe Pennington, 1962 (Western Cape in the Klein Karoo mountains near Seweweekspoort, Elandsberg and Rooiberg)

References

Gimenez Dixon, M. (1996). "Thestor tempe". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996 e.T21750A9316728. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T21750A9316728.en.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Thestor petra” as species of insect. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Thestor, petra and species.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1962, 1996—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Thestor, petra and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Thestor petra”, the useful work is to connect “species of insect” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 5, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q5466227. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1962 and 1996.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
Verify next

Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Thestor petra”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Thestor petra primary sources, Thestor petra archive and Thestor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Thestor petra”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Thestor petra” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.