LepidopteraLycaenidae – Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, Harvesters

Amethyst Hairstreak - Hodges#4271

Chlorostrymon maesites

This record describes Chlorostrymon maesites (species). Recorded family: Lycaenidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.

Identification and Appearance

Amethyst Hairstreak - Hodges#4271 - Chlorostrymon maesites — Contributed by Alan Chin Lee; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , Matthew Roth , Mike Quinn

Brilliant Purplish blue above; ventrally brown; hind wing below has an apical patch extending three-fourths the distance to the front margin of the wing; females are dark brown above with base of front wing and most of hind wing dark blue; ventrally dark green.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Lycaenidae (Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, Harvesters)
Subfamily: Theclinae
Tribe: Eumaeini
Genus: Chlorostrymon

Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.

Habitat and Range

Geographic Range

s. FL / W. Indies - Map (MPG, BOA)

Seasonal Activity

yr round in FL (MPG)

Additional species information

Species notes from the sources

Etymology: Chlorostrymon maesites (Herrich-Schäffer, 1864)

About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group

Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Chlorostrymon maesites. Species-specific details appear above.

Group overview

Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.

Ecological role of the group

Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.

Economic and practical significance of the group

Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.

Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.

Explore Lepidoptera families and species →