''Callophrys sheridanii'', the Sheridan's hairstreak and Sheridan's green hairstreak, is a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

in the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family (biology), family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of ...

. It is found in North America along the south coast of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and parts of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, and

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. In 2009, this species was adopted as the U.S. state butterfly for

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Description

This small, tail-less butterfly has a wingspan of . The upperside is dark gray brown, with underside color ranging from a bright green to dark gray green. The lower part of the forewing is gray. ''Callophrys sheridanii'' has a white postmedian line of dots that may be straight or bulged out, and even reduced or absent. It is named for its characteristic straight, white line crossing the underside of both wings, although this may be less distinct in specimens from southern British Columbia.

Distribution

Although uncommon in Canada, this species is found from southern

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

east to

. From British Columbia, the range extends south through Eastern Washington down to the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

of California. From Alberta, the species extends southward through the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

down to

Range and habitat

''Callophrys sheridanii'' remains within a range of approximately , living in such environments as sagebrush scrub, dry, brushy hillsides in badlands, chaparral, woodlands, subalpine scree, open hillsides, and on canyon slopes and washes.

Life history

Females have one brood between April and May. They lay eggs singly on various species of wild

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum'') or common buckwheat is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. Buckwheat originated around the 6th millennium BCE in the region of what ...

leaves. The eggs are flattened and hemispherical in shape, and very pale green in color. The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e range from a green to pink color and feed on buckwheat. The caterpillars are a light green to pink color, and are covered with bunches of short stiff pines. They have two rows of white spots running down the back. They eat the leaves, but some prefer to eat the flowers and young fruits. Chrysalids then hibernate. In Washington, the caterpillars feed on sulphur umbrella plants ('' Eriogonum umbellatum''). In adulthood, males perch looking for female mates in depressions or gulch bottoms. The adults drink flower

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

. They take flight between March and June, with specimens from British Columbia flying from mid-April to late May, while specimens in Alberta flying mid-May until late June.

Host plants

''Callophrys sheridanii'' larvae and caterpillars feed on various species of wild

, including ''

Eriogonum racemosum ''Eriogonum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing. It incl ...

'' and ''

Eriogonum heracleoides ''Eriogonum heracleoides'' (common names; parsnipflower buckwheat, whorled buckwheat, and Wyeth buckwheat) is a plant of western North America that has many flowering clusters which are usually cream colored, or off-white. It can usually be found ...

''.

Subspecies

*''Callophrys sheridani sheridanii'', white-lined Sheridan's hairstreak *''Callophrys sheridani comstocki'', desert Sheridan's hairstreak *''Callophrys sheridani lemberti'', alpine Sheridan's hairstreak *''Callophrys sheridani pseudodumetorum'' *''Callophrys sheridani newcomeri'', whitelined green hairstreak (occurs in southern British Columbia) *''Callophrys sheridani neoperplexa'', Sheridan's green hairstreak (occurs in southwestern Alberta)

Similar species

All green hairstreaks appear very similar.

Conservation status

Although quite rare in certain parts of its range, conservation is usually not required.

References

External links

ImagesImagesSkeletonizing of the leaf of subspecies ''Callophrys sheridani neoperplexa''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callophrys Sheridanii Callophrys Butterflies of North America Butterflies described in 1877 Symbols of Wyoming