Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Behr's Hairstreak
Satyrium behrii (W.H. Edwards, 1870)


Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: Tailless. Upperside orange with wide brown borders on forewing. Underside of male brown, female brownish-white; both with postmarginal and submarginal lines of irregular small black spots.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: Males perch on shrubs to watch for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on leaves or twigs of host plant; they hibernate and hatch the following spring. Caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: One flight from June-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Antelope brush (Purshia species) and mountain- mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) in the rose family (Rosaceae).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Sagebrush scrub, juniper-pinyon woodland, brushland, pine woodland, chaparral.
Range: Local within its range. Western Texas north and west through New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California to British Columbia.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL