CR

Bearded Skolly

Thestor barbatus

Declining

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Thestor barbatus faces severe population decline due to habitat degradation from agricultural expansion and overgrazing in its restricted South African range. Urban development and infrastructure projects have fragmented the remaining patches of suitable fynbos vegetation. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns that affect the butterfly's host plants and breeding cycles.

Threat summary

Habitat

This butterfly inhabits specialized fynbos vegetation in the Western Cape of South Africa, particularly areas with its ant-associated host plants. It requires intact, undisturbed shrubland ecosystems with specific microhabitat conditions for its complex life cycle.

Rocky areas· major

Conservation measures underway

Species recovery

Other threatened species in LYCAENIDAE

EN

Black-Spotted Blue

Orachrysops mijburghi

Unknown
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Orachrysops regalis

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Eastern Bronze Azure

Ogyris halmaturia

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VU

Sinai Hairstreak

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Calidris ferrugineaVU

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Scarce BlackneckCR

Scarce Blackneck

Lygephila craccae

Unknown
EN

Wager's Bush Squeaker

Arthroleptis wageri

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Bearded Skolly classified as Critically Endangered?
Bearded Skolly is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Thestor barbatus faces severe population decline due to habitat degradation from agricultural expansion and overgrazing in its restricted South African range. Urban development and infrastructure projects have fragmented the remaining patches of suitable fynbos vegetation. Climate change poses an additional threat through altered precipitation patterns that affect the butterfly's host plants and breeding cycles.
Where does Bearded Skolly live?
Bearded Skolly occurs in South Africa. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Bearded Skolly?
The main threats to Bearded Skolly are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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