Early Hairstreak - Hodges#4349
Erora laeta
This record describes Erora laeta (species). Recorded family: Lycaenidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
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
- Erora
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Habitat
Deciduous and mixed woods, especially on open ridgetops and along dirt roads.
Geographic Range
Maritime Provinces west to northern Michigan and northern Wisconsin; south through the Appalachians to Tennessee and North Carolina.
Diet and Behavior
Diet: Caterpillars feed on American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) and beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta). Adults nectar from flowers of fleabane, ox-eyed daisy, and hardtack.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Erora laeta. 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.
Photos of Early Hairstreak - Hodges#4349 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by tom murray; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , metrioptera