Butterflies of Cuba
Hewitson's Hairstreak
Strymon
columella
FABRICIUS, 1793
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
THECLINAE
Tribe -
subtribe
-
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Strymon columella,
Guaos, nr Cienfuegos, Cuba.
( image
courtesy © Peter Bruce-Jones )
Introduction
Vernacular
English names can be very confusing - a quick web-search revealed
that this attractive species is known by a number of different
names including Columella Hairstreak,
Mallow
Hairstreak,
Mallow Scrub
Hairstreak, Columella Scrub Hairstreak, Modest Hairstreak,
Hewitson's Hairstreak and Dotted Hairstreak, so we can be thankful
for scientific names, although even these tend to change quite
frequently as new information about the relationships between taxa
is discovered !
To be completed.
Habitats
Smith, Miller &
Miller note that this species seems to benefit from land
disturbance, being "most frequently seen in fields, along
roadsides, and in places where weeds are taking over tracts of
cleared land". It is seldom seen in woodland or forest. Hernandez
describes the butterfly as being associated with grassy areas.
Lifecycle
The larval
foodplants, both in Cuba and North America are herbaceous Malvaceae species
including Abutilon,
Sida and
Hibiscus.
To be completed.
Adult behaviour
To be completed.
Strymon columella,
Cuba.
( image
courtesy © Peter Bruce-Jones )
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