| California hairstreak | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Satyrium |
| Species: | S. californica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Satyrium californica (Edwards, 1862)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Satyrium californica, the California hairstreak, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from British Columbia south to southern California and east to Colorado.
Description
The wingspan is 25–32 millimetres (0.98–1.26 in). Underside of wings are gray with band of black spots and band of orange markings near the margin. The hindwing has a pale blue spot with small or no orange cap, and two "tails." Upperside of wings are brown with orange markings near these tails on the hindwings.
Behavior
Adults feed on the nectar of various flowers, including Eriogonum and Asclepias species. In Canada, the larvae feed on Cercocarpus, Salix species, buckbrush (Ceanothus spp.), antelope-brush (Purshia tridentata), oaks (Quercus spp.), cherry (Prunus spp.), and saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia). In California, they are noted to feed on oaks, Apocynum cannabinum, Marrubium species, Ceanothus velutinus, California buckeye, milkweed, and other plants.
Adults are active April to September, depending on region. They overwinter as eggs.
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically.
- S. c. brashor Kondla & Scott, 2006
- S. c. californica
- S. c. cygnus (Edwards, 1871)
- S. c. obscurafacies (Austin, 1998)
- S. c. wapiti Fisher, 2006
References
- ^ a b Satyrium, Site of Markku Savela
- ^ a b Butterflies and Moths of North America collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera
- ^ Brock, Jim P.; Kaufman, Kenn (2003). Butterflies of North America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 98–99. ISBN 0-618-15312-8.
- ^ California Hairstreak, Butterflies of Canada
- ^ a b Shapiro, Art. "Satyrium californica | Art Shapiro's Butterfly Site". butterfly.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-02.