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.
