| Black Hairstreak (Fixsenia pruni (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Fixsenia pruni (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Black Hairstreak Other names: Other scientific name: Satyrium pruni. French name: Thécla du coudrier, Thécla du prunier. Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Rhopalocera Family: Lycaenidae Subfamily: Theclinae Wingspan: 30-32 mm. Biotope: Sparse woodlands, hedgerows, mainly where you can find Blackthorn. Geographic area: Europe except the Iberian Peninsula, Italia and the northern regions. Asia east to Japan. Flight time: June-July. Number of generations : 1 Caterpillar: Green with paler lateral stripes and a reddish band on the back. Host plant: Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa). |
The Black Hairstreak has a short tail on the hindwings. The upper side of the wings is dark brown with a row of orange patches on the outer edge of the hindwings. These orange patches slightly extend onto the females' forewings. The under side of the wings is a paler brown colour. They are crossed by a thin white line. The orange patches, on the edge of the hindwing, are bordered, on the inner side, by black marks, half circled with white. This is the main typical characteristic of this species. The Black Hairstreak overwinters as an egg. |
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The row of black spots on the inner edge of the orange band confirms the identification of Black Hairstreak. This picture is slightly lacking of depth of field. The head of the butterfly is blurred. |
André Bon May 2010