Tropical Greenstreak (Cyanophrys herodotus [Fabricius])
Wing span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Identification: Hindwing tailed. Upperside blue; face and underside green. Hindwing with only 1 red-brown spot at lower outer margin.
Life history: Females lay eggs singly on flowers and flower stalks of host plants. Caterpillars feed on leaves and flowers.
Flight: Late May-late October in South Texas, throughout the year in Central America and Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Various shrubs and trees in Central America and Mexico including Lantana camara, Cornutia grandifolia, Clerodendron paniculatum (Verbenaceae); Lithraea brasiliensis, Schinus molle, Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae); and Mikania (Asteraceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Seasonally dry and wet tropical forests and neighboring edges.
Range: Brazil north through Central and South America to Sinaloa and Tamaulipas in Mexico. Rare stray to South Texas.
Conservation: Not required for rare stray.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates. Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Neck, R.W. 1996. A Field Guide to Butterflies of Texas. Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, Texas. Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. Privately published, Denver, Colo. Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Tveten, J. and Tveten, G. 1996. Butterflies of Houston & Southeast Texas. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin, TX. 292 pp.