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Strymon martialis

(Martial Scrub-Hairstreak)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Martial Scrub-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 Strymon martialis

One long and one short tail on hindwing . Upperside black with some blue patches. Below, hindwing has distinct black and white postmedian line and a large, blurry submarginal orange eyespot. (ref. 105718)

Color:

One long and one short tail on hindwing . Upperside black with some blue patches. Below, hindwing has distinct black and white postmedian line and a large, blurry submarginal orange eyespot.

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 1 1/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.8 - 3.5 cm).

Habitat

Sunny areas and fields near the coast.

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Florida trema (Trema micrantha) and bay cedar (Suriana maritima). Adult food: Nectar from flowers including bay cedar, lantana, Brazilian pepper, tournefortia, shepherd's needle , and lippia.

Reproduction

Young caterpillars feed on new leaves, flowers, and fruits; full-grown caterpillars can feed on older leaves.

Behavior

Flight: From February-December; the number of broods is unknown.

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Strymon

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 24 species and subspecies in this genus:

S. acis (Bartram's Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. acis bartrami (Bartram's Hairstreak) · S. albata (White Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. alea (Lacey's Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. astiocha (Astiocha Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. avalona (Avalon Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. basalides (Basalides Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. bazochii (Lantana Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. bazochii gundlachianus (Smaller Lantana Butterfly) · S. bebrycia (Red-Lined Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. cestri (Tailless Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. columella (Mallow Scrub Hairstreak) · S. echion (Larger Lantana Butterfly) · S. istapa (Mallow Scrub Hairstreak) · S. limenia (Disguised Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. martialis (Martial Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. megarus (Megarus Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. melinus (Common Hairstreak) · S. melinus melinus (Cotton Square Borer) · S. mulucha (Mottled Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. rufofusca (Red-Crescent Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. serapio (Bromeliad Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. yojoa (Yojoa Scrub-Hairstreak) · S. ziba (Red-Spotted Scrub-Hairstreak)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

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: 7/16/2012