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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies (excluding skippers) (Papilionoidea) » Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, Harvesters (Lycaenidae) » Hairstreaks (Theclinae) » Eumaeini » Chlorostrymon » Silver-Banded Hairstreak (Chlorostrymon simaethis)

Species Chlorostrymon simaethis - Silver-Banded Hairstreak

Classification · Other Common Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Sliver-Banded Hairstreak - Chlorostrymon simaethis

Silver-Banded Hairstreak - Chlorostrymon simaethis

Silver-Banded Hairstreak - Chlorostrymon simaethis - male

Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies (excluding skippers))

Family Lycaenidae (Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, Harvesters)

Subfamily Theclinae (Hairstreaks)

Tribe Eumaeini

Genus Chlorostrymon

Species simaethis (Silver-Banded Hairstreak)

Other Common Names

Banda de Plata

Size

Small hairstreak, the size of an average blue.

Identification

Underwing is green (ranging from bright lime-green to dull greenish-brown) with straight white postmedian band. Wide maroon/brown trailing edge of HW. Dorsal, male is dark purple, female gray.

Range

Extreme south Florida and Keys, south Texas and southern California.

Habitat

Thorn scrub, and dry woodland, usually found around balloon-vine.

Season

March to June and September to October.

Food

Caterpillars feed on immature seeds of Balloon-vines (Cardiospermum spp.). Adults feed on nectar of balloon vines and also Lantana spp. and various other plants with tiny flowers.

Life Cycle

The caterpillars, which hide within the Cardiospermum seed pods, reportedly secrete honeydew which attracts ants; the ants in tern defend the caterpillars from predators.

See Also

Amethyst Hairstreak

Print References

(1) (2) (3)

Internet References

NPWRC page

Works Cited

1.	Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West : A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North America (Butterflies and Others Thr By Jeffrey Glassberg

2.	Butterflies of North America (Kaufman Focus Guides) By Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman

3.	Common Stoneflies

Contributed by Alan Chin-Lee on 5 September, 2004 - 2:05am
Additional contributions by tom murray, Joshua Stuart Rose, David Ferguson
Last updated 2 October, 2010 - 3:04am

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