Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Hemon Blue
Hairstreak
Theritas hemon
CRAMER, 1775
Family -
LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
THECLINAE
Tribe - EUMAEINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Theritas hemon,
Rio Madre de Dios, Peru.
Introduction
All neotropical Hairstreak species are placed in the tribe Eumaeini. Until
recently the taxonomy of this tribe was chaotic, with a high percentage of the
species unstudied, and inappropriately filed away in the Old World genus
Thecla.
In 2004 Lamas published a
checklist of neotropical butterflies, which included a revision of the Eumaeini
by Robbins, in which the 1,058 currently known species are partitioned into 83
genera. All the species previously placed in Thecla
have now been reassigned to other existing genera, or designated to newly erected
genera. The original genus
Thecla
is now used only for the Brown Hairstreak Thecla betulae
of Europe, and it's Chinese cousins
Thecla betulina
and T. elwesi.
The genus Theritas comprises of 26 known species,
variously distributed from Mexico to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The males of
all species have metallic blue or turquoise uppersides, and have a large patch
of androconial scales in the discal cell of the forewing. In some species this
patch is dark brown in colour, but in others it is partially or completely
obscured by the overlying blue sheen.
In a few species such as
mavors and hemon the
females are earthy brown on the upperside, but the majority have a blue sheen
like their male counterparts. Both sexes of all species have a long thin tail
projecting at an angle from the tornus of the hindwing at vein 2. Several
species including mavors,
hemon and drucei also have a shorter tail
projecting from vein 3, although this is so thin and fragile that it is often
shed after a few days of flight.
Theritas hemon is distributed throughout most of
the Amazonian region from Surinam to Paraguay.
Habitats
This species is found in rainforest and cloudforest habitats at altitudes between about
400-1200m.
Theritas hemon,
Catarata de Tirol, La Merced, Peru.
Lifecycle
Unknown.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies probably spend much of their lives in the upper
canopy, but singletons are sometimes encountered at light gaps or
forest edge habitats, at which times they settle on foliage at a
height of about 2-3 metres above ground level. Males also
sometimes descend to imbibe moisture from damp earth. Both sexes
always settle with their wings held erect.
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