Gray hairstreak
| Gray hairstreak | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Strymon |
| Species: | S. melinus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Strymon melinus Hübner (1818)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Thecla melinus[2] | |
The gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) is also called the bean lycaenid or cotton square borer. It is a member of the
General Description
The adult gray hairstreak has a wingspan of 20–32 millimetres (0.79–1.26 in). The upper sides of the wings are gray with an orange spot on the hind margin. The underside of the wings are a lighter gray with white and black lines and orange and blue marginal spots near the hind-wings' tail-like extensions.[3]
Caterpillars are green with markings on the sides, covered in short yellow hairs.[3] Like other caterpillars in the Lycaenidae family, S. melinus are attended by ants in a behavior known as myrmecophily.[4]
Habitat
The gray hairstreak lives in a wide range of habitats ranging from tropical forests and mountains to temperate woodland areas and meadows, as well as cities and farmland.[3][5]
Food
The caterpillars of the gray hairstreak butterfly consume a wide range of food plants.[3] However, they do mainly use mallows and legumes as their preferred host plant. They commonly use clovers as their food plant as well, eating rabbit-foot clover (Trifolium arvense), white clover (T. repens), bush clover (Lespedeza capitata), white sweet-clover (Melilotis alba), and Malva neglecta. Young caterpillars are typically found eating flowers and fruiting bodies of their host plant while the older caterpillars eat the leaves.[6]
Notes
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Strymon melinus Gray Hairstreak". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "Butterflies of Mexico, USA & Canada: Gray Hairstreak". Learn About Butterflies. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 9780520288744.
- ISSN 1343-8786.
- ^ "Gray Hairstreak (Mt. Diablo Butterflies) · iNaturalist". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- ^ "Gray Hairstreak". butterfliesofmassachusetts.net. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
External links
