Summary ⁹

The Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), is one of the most common hairstreaks in North America, ranging over nearly the entire continent.

General description ⁹

The Grey Hairstreak has an ash-grey undersurface with a prominent white-bordered, black median line, and two orange patches in the outer angle of the hindwing. Grey hairstreaks have a patch of orange hair between the top of the eyes, which is unique among Alberta hairstreaks. The subspecies affiliation of Alberta populations remains uncertain (Bird et al. 1995), although they have sometimes been reffered to ssp. franki (Layberry et al. 1998, Guppy & Shepard 2001).

Development ⁹

After about six days the eggs hatch, and over the next twenty days the caterpillars grow and develop. They then form a chrysalis and after about ten days emerge as adults. Silvery-blues spend the winter as pupae and can have three or more generations per year. Development time can vary greatly depending on geography and the different hosts.

Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis ; diapause

Food habits ⁹

Just as in many other characteristics of gray hairstreaks, their food habits are general. Neither the caterpillar nor the butterfly are specific to any certain plant or flower, but rather feed on a variety of plants. The larvae eat from at least twenty different families of plants, including the pea and mallow families. Normally they can be found eating fruits and flowers. They can also be found on maize, cotton and a variety of shrubs and trees. The butterfly feeds on nectar from a wide variety of flowers.

Plant Foods: leaves; fruit; nectar; flowers

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore , Nectarivore )

Habitat ⁹

Unlike most butterflies, gray hairstreaks do not prefer one specific habitat. They are widespread in tropical forests and open, temperate woodland areas. They can also be found in meadows, crop fields, neglected roadsides, and residential parks and yards are often homes of this fascinating butterfly.

Range elevation: 0 to 2745 m.

Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest ; mountains

Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural

Life cycle ⁹

The larval colour pattern is variable, ranging from green with white to purple oblique bands (Layberry et al. 1998). Adults are rapid flyers, and perch head-down on vegetation (Bird et al. 1995). Unlike other hairstreaks, melinus overwinters as a pupa and emerges in the spring (Guppy & Shepard 2001).

Reproduction ⁹

Mating and egg-laying occur in early spring. Adult males perch on small trees and shrubs from early afternoon to dusk to await females. They usually perch at a level where they can catch cooler breezes, lower to the ground in the spring and higher as the year goes on. Males back dorsally. Mating pairs are normally spotted at night, and females oviposit during the midafternoon. The females then lay their pale green eggs on hosts' buds or newly opened flowers of the host plant.

Breeding season: early spring

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

There is no parental involvement once eggs are laid.

Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning)

Sources and Credits

1. (c) NatureShutterbug, all rights reserved, uploaded by NatureShutterbug, http://www.flickr.com/photos/37748226@N00/2629104463
2. (c) Richard Crook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardwc/6069343045/
3. (c) Robert, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/44055945@N06/5583649050/
4. (c) Robert, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/44055945@N06/7650889526/
5. (c) Robert, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/44055945@N06/9104378292/
6. (c) Jim P. Brock, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://butterfliesofamerica.com/images/Theclinae/eumaeini/Strymon_melinus_franki/Strymon_melinus_franki_last_instar_on_foodplant_Acacia_millefolia_USA_AZ_Pima_Co_Tucson_18-VI-2009_2.JPG
7. (c) Jim P. Brock, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://butterfliesofamerica.com/images/Theclinae/eumaeini/Strymon_melinus_franki/Strymon_melinus_franki_last_instar_on_foodplant_Eysenhardtia_orthocarpa_USA_AZ_Pima_Co_Tucson_13-VI-2009_2.JPG
8. (c) Jim P. Brock, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://butterfliesofamerica.com/images/Theclinae/eumaeini/Strymon_melinus_franki/Strymon_melinus_franki_larva_Pima_Co_AZ_USA_April_1996_JPB.jpg
9. (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, all rights reserved

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Maryland Moths
• Mass Moths
• Moth Photographers Group
• Moths of North Carolina
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

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