Atlides halesus

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Atlides halesus
Atlides halesus, in flight

Atlides halesus , in flight

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Bluebirds (Lycaenidae)
Subfamily : Theclinae
Genre : Atlides
Type : Atlides halesus
Scientific name
Atlides halesus
( Cramer , 1777)
Wing underside
Underside of the wing with colored division of the abdomen

Great purple hairstreak is a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of Gossamer (Lycaenidae).

features

butterfly

The wingspan of the moth is 32 to 51 millimeters. The forewings shimmer on the upper side, depending on the angle of the incidence of light, over a large area of ​​metallic turquoise, blue or green. They are framed in black at the edges. There is an occasionally indistinct dark spot in the middle field. The color of the upper side of the hind wings is essentially the same as that of the forewings. However, they show a few small yellowish spots and a long, narrow and very short tail on the tornus . A noticeable feature on the light brown to violet-brown underside of the forewings is a long bluish stripe that begins at the wing root. Some red spots can also be seen in this area. The brown underside of the hind wings has several small yellowish spots near the tails. The color of the abdomen, which is blue on the top and orange-red on the underside, is typical of the species.

Egg, caterpillar, pupa

The egg has a flat shape, is gray-white in color and shows a dark, recessed micropyle .

Adult caterpillars have a flattened, plump physique, a strong green color and are provided with indistinct reddish spots and yellowish and dark lines and short orange hair.

The doll is brown in color and marbled with some black spots.

Distribution and occurrence

The range of the species is in North and Central America and extends south of the 38th parallel to Mexico and Costa Rica . However, to the north there are also some occurrences in the coastal areas of New York and Oregon . Atlides halesus is preferred in wooded areas.

Way of life

The moths, which like to visit flowers for nectar ingestion , fly year-round in Florida , southern Texas and further south in successive generations. In the distribution areas further north, the moths fly in several generations from March to November. There the pupae of the last generation overwinter at the foot or behind the bark of trees, but are often parasitized by legims . The caterpillars live on trees on the sandalwood family (Santalaceae), in particular on Phoradendron flavescens , Phoradendron californicum , Phoradendron bolleanum and Phoradendron juniperinum . Younger caterpillar stages feed on the epidermis , older ones eat the entire leaf.

Subspecies

  • Atlides halesus halesus (Cramer, 1777)
  • Atlides halesus corcorani Clench, 1942

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Butterflies and Moths of North America http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Atlides-halesus
  2. ↑ a b c d e James A. Scott (1986). The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4 , p. 380
  3. ↑ Distribution http://ftp.funet.fi/index/Tree_of_life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/theclinae/atlides/index.html

literature

  • James A. Scott (1986). The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4 , p. 380

Web links

Commons : Atlides halesus  - collection of images, videos and audio files