Welcome to Catnapin's

Insect Gallery

Gossamer-wing Butterflies - Hairstreak

order Lepidoptera - family Lycaenidae - subfamily Theclinae

1) Laying eggs on Longleaf Wild Buckwheat.  2) About to eat Lantana.  3) Cold day.

Gray Hairstreak (Cotton Square Borer) Strymon melinus

Photo taken in Taylor County, April 2005

Photo taken in Coleman County, July 2004, October 2005

(Taylor, Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Shackelford, Eastland, Coke, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 7/8"-1 3/8" wide.  Most common Hairstreak in USA.

Caterpillar: Velvety reddish-brown or light green.  Eats developing flowers and fruit, cotton, hops, beans.

Pupa: Chrysalides hibernate.

Soapberry Hairstreak Phaeostrymon alcestis

Photo taken in Taylor County, May 2006

(Taylor, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 1"-1 1/2" wide.

Caterpillar:

Pupa:

Eating Catclaw Mimosa.

Great Purple Hairstreak  Atlides halesus

Photo taken in Taylor County, May 2005

(Shackelford, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 1 1/4"-2" wide.  Eats nectar from goldenrod, Prickly Ash, wild plum.

Caterpillar: Eats Mistletoe.

Pupa: Chrysalis dark blue black, hibernate in crevices at base of host trees.

Western "Siva" variation sipping croton flowers.

Juniper Hairstreak Callophrys [Mitoura] gryneus

Photo taken in Taylor County, April 2006

(Taylor)

Butterfly: 1" - 1 1/4" wide.  Widespread.  Variable.

Caterpillar: Eats Juniper tree.

Pupa:

On a Juniper tree.

Red-banded Groundstreak Calycopis cecrops

Photo taken in Taylor County, October 2007

(East Texas, but maps do not show in Taylor)

Butterfly: 7/8" - 1 1/4" wide.

Caterpillar: Eats rotting leaves.

Pupa:

Similar Species

Dusky-blue Groundstreak Calycopis isobeon

7/8 - 1 1/4 inches.  Two tails on the hindwing. Underside of both wings gray-brown; inner edge of postmedian line bordered narrowly with red-orange. Underside of hindwing has eyespot at lower apex with equal amounts of orange and black.

Other Species in My Area

Banded Hairstreak Satyrium calanus

1 - 1 1/2 inches.  Hindwing has 1 long and 1 short tail. Upperside of both sexes dark brown. Underside of hindwing dark brown with postmedian band of dark dashes edged in white. Blue tail-spot not topped with orange.

(Coleman)

Dusky-blue Groundstreak Calycopis isobeon

7/8 - 1 1/4 inches.  Two tails on the hindwing. Underside of both wings gray-brown; inner edge of postmedian line bordered narrowly with red-orange. Underside of hindwing has eyespot at lower apex with equal amounts of orange and black.

Southern Hairstreak Fixsenia favonius

7/8 - 1 1/2 inches.  Two tails on each hindwing. Underside of hindwing gray-brown; blue tail-spot capped narrowly with orange; white-edged black W near inner margin. In peninsular Florida and along the south Atlantic coast, the hindwing has longer tails and more extensive orange and blue markings on the underside.

(Coleman, Brown)

Henry's Elfin Callophrys [Incisalia] henrici

1 - 1 1/4 inches.  Tailed. Upperside dark brown; male without oval spot at forewing front edge. Often a dull orange tinge at outer margin of forewing and near tail of hindwing. Underside forewing with fairly straight postmedian line; hindwing with some white in the postmedian line.

(Brown)