HAIRSTREAK

any member of the insect subfamily Theclinae, belonging to the widely distributed Lycaenidae family of common butterflies (order Lepidoptera). Adult lycaenids, sometimes known as gossamer-winged butterflies, are small and delicate, with an 18- to 38-millimetre (0.75- to 1.5-inch) wingspan. They are rapid fliers and are usually distinguished by iridescent wings. Hairstreaks are usually brown or gray with delicate stripes on the bottoms of the wings. The male's forelegs are reduced, but the female's are fully developed. Hairstreak larvae are short, broad, and sluglike. Some species eat plant material; many are cannibalistic; and still others secrete honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion that attracts ants. The ants stroke, or milk, the larva with their legs to stimulate honeydew secretion. The hairstreaks, found in open areas, are usually gray or brown and distinguished by hairlike markings on the underside of the wings. They frequently have one or more thin, taillike extensions on the hindwings. These erratic fliers occur on every continent but are most abundant in the New World tropics. The only hairstreak of economic significance is the green or reddish brown born larva of the North American gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), which bores into fruit and seeds.