Sandia Hairstreak
Encyclopedia
The Sandia Hairstreak, scientific name Callophrys mcfarlandi (or Sandia mcfarlandi) is a species
of butterfly
native to North America
. A relatively rare butterfly with a limited range, it was discovered in La Cueva Canyon, Albuquerque in 1959 by "a 4-H kid" and described the following year. The Sandia Hairstreak was made one of the state insects of New Mexico
in a 2002 bill approved the following year.
s that span 2.9 – 3.2 cm (1 to 1 inches). The wings of females are generally reddish-brown on the dorsal side with a narrow border of black around the edge. Males are typically brown. The underside of the wings of both sexes is usually greenish-yellow on the undersides with a postmedian line bordered with black near the base. This species exhibits a certain amount of polymorphism
, making the phenotype
of some individuals significantly different than that described here (see photos) but according to one simple description "it is small and gold and green in color and it lives in and among beargrass plants, where its pink, lavender and white caterpillars eat beargrass flowers, making the butterfly and its caterpillar easy to identify."
A butterfly hunter writing for Orion
magazine describes:
on the stalk
s of Texas sacahuista (Nolina
texana). Its caterpillars are naturally monophagous (feeding only) on this plant and eat both its flower
s and its fruit
. An entomologist
at the University of California, Riverside
discovered they could be raised in the laboratory
on Lotus scoparius
with little or no retardation in development (whereas a few other picky lycaenids
did not fare as well) suggesting that its ancestral range was once much larger. Adults feed on the nectar of the same host plants used by their larva
e.
agave
desert
in the Southeastern United States
(specifically Southeast Colorado
south through New Mexico and Western Texas
) and Northeast Mexico
.
in 2004. In their declaration they opined that this species (despite its range beyond the state) was "thought of as uniquely New Mexican." Among the many other reasons they cited for naming the Sandia Hairstreak as an official symbol include:
The legislative session also commended a group of dancers that had performed an original dance presentation entitled "The New Mexico Gossamer Wing" for their benefit.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. A relatively rare butterfly with a limited range, it was discovered in La Cueva Canyon, Albuquerque in 1959 by "a 4-H kid" and described the following year. The Sandia Hairstreak was made one of the state insects of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in a 2002 bill approved the following year.
Description
C. mcfarlandi is a relatively small butterfly with tailless wingInsect flight
Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...
s that span 2.9 – 3.2 cm (1 to 1 inches). The wings of females are generally reddish-brown on the dorsal side with a narrow border of black around the edge. Males are typically brown. The underside of the wings of both sexes is usually greenish-yellow on the undersides with a postmedian line bordered with black near the base. This species exhibits a certain amount of polymorphism
Polymorphism (biology)
Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
, making the phenotype
Phenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
of some individuals significantly different than that described here (see photos) but according to one simple description "it is small and gold and green in color and it lives in and among beargrass plants, where its pink, lavender and white caterpillars eat beargrass flowers, making the butterfly and its caterpillar easy to identify."
A butterfly hunter writing for Orion
Orion (magazine)
Orion is a bimonthly, advertisement-free, magazine focused on nature, the environment, and culture, addressing environmental and societal issues....
magazine describes:
...hairstreaks — "hair" for the tiny tails many kinds trail from their hindwings, "streak" for their stripes, or perhaps derived from their zippy flight. Many hairstreaks make their appearance early, then are seen no more...Goldy-green with a white stripe below, it blends perfectly with its larvaLarvaA larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
l hostPlantPlants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
...I found the plant, and the butterfly, in its type locality (= place of original collection and description) — the Sandia MountainsSandia MountainsThe Sandia Mountains name posu gai hoo-oo, "where water slides down arroyo") are a mountain range located in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, immediately to the east of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The range is largely within the Cibola National...
, outside Albuquerque. What very different worlds: the beargrassNolinaNolina is a genus of tropical xerophytic flowering plants, with the principal distribution being in Mexico and extending into the southern United States. Some botanists have included the genus Beaucarnea in Nolina. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae,...
mounts, the huge nearby casinoCasinoIn modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, the city beyond. Hairstreaks, with their specific botanical needs and moist-spring ways, may be some of the first butterflies to feel the warming and drying, and to abandon historical ranges. But the Sandia is still there for now.
Life cycle
This butterfly lays its eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
on the stalk
Stalk
Stalk may refer to:* Plant stem, one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant* Leaf stalk, also known as Petiole* Flower stalk, also known as Peduncle* Stalking, an act of intrusive behavior or unwanted attention towards a person...
s of Texas sacahuista (Nolina
Nolina
Nolina is a genus of tropical xerophytic flowering plants, with the principal distribution being in Mexico and extending into the southern United States. Some botanists have included the genus Beaucarnea in Nolina. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae,...
texana). Its caterpillars are naturally monophagous (feeding only) on this plant and eat both its flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s and its fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
. An entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
at the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
discovered they could be raised in the laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
on Lotus scoparius
Lotus scoparius
Lotus scoparius is a perennial subshrub in the family Fabaceae . The plant is a pioneer species found in dry areas of California, Arizona, and Mexico...
with little or no retardation in development (whereas a few other picky lycaenids
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
did not fare as well) suggesting that its ancestral range was once much larger. Adults feed on the nectar of the same host plants used by their larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e.
Distribution and habitat
The Sandia Hairstreak has a range limited to yucca-Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
in the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
(specifically Southeast Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
south through New Mexico and Western Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
) and Northeast Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
State butterfly
Sandia Hairstreak was made the official state butterfly of New Mexico by the New Mexico LegislatureNew Mexico Legislature
The New Mexico Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of New Mexico. It is a bicameral body made up of the New Mexico House of Representatives and the New Mexico Senate....
in 2004. In their declaration they opined that this species (despite its range beyond the state) was "thought of as uniquely New Mexican." Among the many other reasons they cited for naming the Sandia Hairstreak as an official symbol include:
...an official butterfly symbol would add color, beauty and diversity to the state's array of existing symbols... at least seventeen other states have official butterfly symbols...butterflies enhance the beauty of the environment, and naming a butterfly symbol would benefit tourism and the economy of New Mexico by bringing attention to a New Mexico butterfly, by adding credibility to New Mexico among entomologists, which may encourage scientific research in the state, and by providing educational opportunities for study and appreciation of the butterfly and its habitat...naming a New Mexico butterfly would enhance awareness of the importance of butterflies, in ecosystemEcosystemAn ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s as important pollinators for wildflowers and agricultural crops and promote the conservation of our natural wildlife heritage...children love butterflies, and naming a New Mexico butterfly would bring joy to New Mexico's children...the Sandia hairstreak symbolizes the ability of New Mexican residents to thrive year-round in a semiarid climate where different years bring floods and droughts and where the terrain is beautiful but rugged...the Sandia hairstreak can be easily found by children among the native beargrass in New Mexico's wide-open spaces as well as in towns and cities where the beargrass plant grows...the Sandia hairstreak, a New Mexico native, does not migrate, but stays in the New Mexico landscapeLandscapeLandscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
year-round and has not been designated as the state butterfly for any other state.
The legislative session also commended a group of dancers that had performed an original dance presentation entitled "The New Mexico Gossamer Wing" for their benefit.