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hairstreak
(redirected from hairstreaks)

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hairstreak

Any butterfly in the subfamily Theclinae (family Lycaenidae), sometimes known as gossamer-winged butterflies. Adults are delicate and have a 0.75–1.5-in. (18–38-mm) wingspan. Rapid fliers, hairstreaks usually have iridescent wings and are typically brown or gray with delicate stripes on the bottoms of the wings. Larvae are short, broad, and sluglike. Some species eat plants, many are cannibals, and still others secrete honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion that attracts ants. Found in open areas on every continent, hairstreaks are most abundant in the New World tropics.



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Some of the iridescent colors on some of the hairstreaks are amazing, but you have to look closely.
The 52-year-old's tenanted farmalong the Heritage Coast, which he runs with wife Rosamund, is home to voles, owls, choughs, yellowhammers, peregrines, butterflies and an abundance of different types of moth from white-- letter hairstreaks to dingy skippers.
[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] 5 FAMILY NAME: Lycaenidae PRONUNCIATION: lye-SEEN-i-dee COMMON NAMES: Gossamer-winged butterflies, harvesters, coppers, hairstreaks, blues FAMOUS FAMILY MEMBER: Silver-studded blue DEFINING FEATURES: Small bodies with delicate wings, often blue in color; 40 percent of all butterflies belong to this family.
 
 
 
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