Callophrys fotis mojavensis

• Overview
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Notes

Overview

Vulnerable

Common Names

Description

Family Lycaenidae

'The Lycaenidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Worldwide in distribution, this family has approximately 4,700 species that are unevenly distributed. Coppers are especially dominant in north temperate regions , blues are richest in the Old World tropics and north temperate zones, and hairstreaks are particularly abundant in New World tropics. The adults are typically small to tiny and often brilliantly colored--iridescent blues, bright reds, and oranges. Adults of both sexes have three pairs of walking legs , though most males have fused segments in their front legs. Most adults visit flowers for nectar, but some harvesters feed on wooly aphid honeydew and some hairstreaks feed on aphid honeydew or bird droppings. Females lay single, sea urchin shaped eggs on host leaves or flower buds; the resulting caterpillars are typically slug-shaped. In many species, caterpillars depend on ants for protection, so caterpillars produce sugary secretions that are collected by the ants. Most species overwinter in either the egg or pupal stage.

'[1]

Subfamily Theclinae

Hairstreaks are members of the Family Lycaenidae. Richest in tropical habitats , hairstreaks are numerous in the Americas and comprise about 1,000 species. In tropical species, the upperside of small to medium-sized adults is often iridescent blue, due to reflected light from the wing scales . However, most of the North American species are brown above. Migration is rare, but a few species (such as the Gray Hairstreak) are good long-distance colonists . Males perch to await mates, and females lay eggs singly. Caterpillars usually feed on leaves or reproductive structures of woody trees or shrubs . Interestingly, the chrysalids of several species can produce sounds between their abdominal segments, likely related to their interactions with ants . Hairstreaks typically overwinter in the egg or pupal stage.[2]

Taxonomy

Similar Species

Members of the genus Callophrys

There are approximately 138 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

C. affinis (Western Green Hairstreak) · C. affinis affinis · C. affinis apama (Canyon Green Hairstreak) · C. affinis homoperplexa · C. affinis pseudodumetorum · C. affinis washingtonia (Washington Hairstreak) · C. amphichloros · C. androflavus · C. apama ("Apama" Western Green Hairstreak) · C. apama apama · C. apama homoperplexa · C. augustinus (Brown Elfin) · C. augustinus augustinus (Brown Elfin) · C. augustinus helenae (Brown Elfin) · C. augustinus iroides (Brown Elfin) · C. avis · C. barraguei · C. barryi (Barry's Hairstreak) · C. bayensis · C. bipunctata · C. borelis · C. brunnea · C. butleri · C. caecus · C. caerulescens · C. chalybeitincta · C. cinerascens · C. comstocki (Desert Green Hairstreak) · C. connexa · C. davisi · C. dumetorum (Coastal Green Hairstreak) · C. dumetorum dumetorum · C. dumetorum perplexa · C. eryphon (Western Pine Elfin) · C. eryphon eryphon (Western Pine Elfin) · C. eryphon purpurascens (Western Pine Elfin) · C. ferrea · C. fervida · C. fotis (Desert Elfin) · C. fotis mojavensis (Desert Elfin) · C. foulquieri · C. frivaldszkyi · C. grynea · C. grynea grynea · C. grynea siva · C. gryneus (Juniper Hairstreak) · C. gryneus barryi (Barry's Hairstreak) · C. gryneus gryneus ('Olive' Juniper Hairstreak) · C. gryneus juniperaria (Juniper Hairstreak) · C. gryneus loki (Skinner's Hairstreak) · C. gryneus siva ('Siva' Juniper Hairstreak) · C. gryneus sweadneri (Florida Olive Hairstreak) · C. guatemalena (Guatemalan Hairstreak) · C. henrici (Henry's Elfin) · C. henrici henrici · C. henrici solatus (Henry's Elfin) · C. herculeana · C. hesseli (Hessel's Hairstreak) · C. homoperplexa · C. immaculata · C. immaculatum · C. incompleta · C. inferopunctata · C. intermedia · C. irus (Frosted Elfin) · C. irus hadros (Frosted Elfin) · C. irus irus · C. johnsoni (Johnson's Hairstreak) · C. kolak · C. lanoraieensis (Bog Elfin) · C. lemberti ('Alpine' Sheridan's Hairstreak) · C. leucosticta · C. major · C. mcfarlandi (Sandia Hairstreak) · C. minor · C. mossi · C. mossii (Moss' Elfin) · C. mossii bayensis (San Bruno Elfin Butterfly) · C. mossii doudoroffi (Doudoroff's Elfin) · C. mossii doudorofii (Moss's Elfin) · C. mossii hidakupa (San Gabriel Mountains Elfin Butterfly) · C. mossii mossii (Moss' Elfin) · C. mossii schryveri (Schryver's Elfin) · C. muiri (Muir's Hairstreak) · C. murii (Muir's Hairstreak) · C. mystaphia · C. nelsoni (Nelson's Hairstreak) · C. nelsoni rosneri (Rosner's Hairstreak) · C. neoperplexa · C. niphon (Eastern Pine Elfin) · C. niphon clarki (Eastern Pine Elfin) · C. niphon niphon · C. nordlandica · C. obscurus · C. olivacea · C. oregonensis · C. pallida · C. paulae · C. perplexa (Bramble Green Hairstreak) · C. pigmentocarens

More Info

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Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 31, 2006.

Identifiers

• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEPE2192
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 172482

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=16&sci=Lycaenidae&com=Gossamer-wing Butterflies [back]
2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Euristrymon&search=Search [back]

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