Clytie Ministreak (Ministrymon clytie [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 3/4 - 7/8 inch (1.9 - 2.2 cm).
Identification: Tailed. Upperside silver-blue; underside pale gray. Forewing with orange median dash; hindwing has 2 lines of orange dashes.
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: February-December in South Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Blackbeads (Pithecellobium species) in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar including blackbead.
Habitat: Tropical forest openings, subtropical thorn forests.
Range: Northwest Costa Rica north through Mexico to South Texas. Strays into southern Arizona.
Conservation: Populations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley need to be conserved.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management needs: Protect habitat with Pithecellobium species.
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