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Erora laeta

(Early Hairstreak)

Overview

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Vulnerable
Threat status

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Early Hairstreak

Description

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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]

Physical Description

Species Erora laeta

No tails. Upperside blue and black; female has more blue than male. Underside turquoise blue; hindwing with 2 irregular bands of small orange spots. (ref. 105736)

Color:

No tails. Upperside blue and black; female has more blue than male. Underside turquoise blue; hindwing with 2 irregular bands of small orange spots.

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 7/8 - 15/16 inch (2.2 - 2.4 cm).

Habitat

Deciduous and mixed woods , especially on open ridgetops and along dirt roads.

The species inhabits edges and openings in mid- to high elevation hardwood forests . Typical sites include edges of dirt roads and sunlit trails through northern hardwood forests, and hardwoods along the margins of rock outcrops. It is not an inhabitant of the shade of forest interiors. (ref. 104663)

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Beech (Fagus grandifolia) and beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta). Adult food: Nectar from flowers of fleabane , ox-eyed daisy, and hardtack.

The major foodplant in NC is apparently American beech (Fagus grandifolia), but beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) has also been reported. The species nectars on many plants , but ox-eye daisy (Chrysanthemum) and daisy fleabanes (Erigeron annuus and E. strigosus) are most frequently used. (ref. 104663)

Reproduction

Males perch in treetops to watch for females. Eggs are laid singly on the underside of host plant leaves; caterpillars feed on leaves and fruits.

Behavior

Flight: Two broods in the north and three in the south, from April-September.

Flight period: Two known broods; mid-April to mid- or late May and late June to early August. Most likely to be seen in the first ten days of July. (ref. 104663)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Erora

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 5 species and subspecies in this genus:

E. clothilde · E. gillottae · E. laeta (Early Hairstreak) · E. quaderna (Arizona Hairstreak) · E. sanfordi

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 17, 2008:

Identifiers

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]
Last Revised: 2009-07-02