Page 152 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Lycaenidae
TRIBUTION
DIS
DISTRIBUTION Western North America, from southern Canada to Mexico
DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT
HABIT A T Low to high elevation clearings in conifer forests
HABITAT
HOST PLANTS S Dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.)
HOST PLANTS
HOS
T PLANT
NOTE
NO
TE
NOTE Caterpillar that feeds on conifer-infesting mistletoes
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but possibly rare at the periphery of its range
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERV
TUS
TION S
T
A
A
ADULT WINGSPAN
1–1¼ in (25–32 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
11 ∕₁₆ in (17 mm)
CALLOPHRYS SPINETORUM
THICKET HAIRSTREAK
150
(HEWITSON, 1867)
The Thicket Hairstreak caterpillar is well camouflaged and
specializes on dwarf mistletoes as host plants. It develops rapidly,
taking only a month from egg hatch to pupation. The larvae
are slow moving, clinging tightly to buds or fruiting heads and
Actual size
only changing position after the plant part has been consumed.
They feed on any part of the dwarf mistletoe plant but prefer

terminal buds, first eating a round entry hole, then hollowing out
the inside. Prepupal caterpillars become stationary and shrink.
The caterpillars are solitary and do not build nests.

Adults spend much of their time in treetops, coming to the

ground only to feed on flower nectar. Females lay their eggs in
The Thicket Hairstreak caterpillar is dark early summer, placing them deep into crevices on the host plants.
green and bears a darker, green dorsal stripe. Mature caterpillars can be found in midsummer by searching
The dorsal tubercles are enlarged and mostly
orange, each bearing a reddish-brown spot. the terminal buds of dwarf mistletoes for circular feeding holes,
Each is also bordered with a diagonal white line

anteriorly; beyond the white line the segment is although their coloring can still make them difficult to detect.
contrasting black. A ventrolateral row of spots
is white, yellow, orange, and dark brown, and
the head is dark brown.