King's Hairstreak
Satyrium kingi (Klots & Clench, 1952)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: Hindwing with 1 long and 1 short tail. Underside light brown; hindwing margin indented above second tail; tail-spot blue with an orange cap.
Wing Span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2 inches (3 - 3.8 cm).
Life History: Eggs are laid singly on host twigs and hatch the next spring. Caterpillars feed on leaf buds and leaves.
Flight: One flight from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Common sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria), the only North American native of the sweetleaf family (Symplocaceae).
Adult Food: Allegheny chinquapin and sourwood are the only reported nectar sources.
Habitat: Hardwood hammocks, wooded streams, swamp edges.
Range: Maryland south along the Atlantic coastal plain and Gulf states, west to eastern Texas.
Conservation: Listed as a species of special concern in several states. Populations and their habitats should be conserved where found.
NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 166 verified sightings
Observation date: May 12, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Calhoun County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 19, 2021
Observation date: Jun 15, 2021
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 19, 2021
Observation date: Jun 13, 2021
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 19, 2021
Observation date: Jun 13, 2021
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 19, 2021
Observation date: Jun 15, 2016
Submitted by: tom howe
Region: Swain County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Jun 05, 2018
Submitted by: willstuart2001
Region: Scotland County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: May 07, 2020
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: May 19, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: May 30, 2020
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: May 28, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 31, 2020
Observation date: May 24, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Wendy Allen)
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 28, 2020
Observation date: May 14, 2020
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 15, 2020
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 08, 2019
Observation date: Jun 01, 2019
Submitted by: John Demko
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jun 06, 2019
Observation date: May 06, 2015
Submitted by: jrfleullan
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 26, 2019
Observation date: May 14, 2019
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Chatham County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 21, 2019
Observation date: May 31, 2011
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Bartow County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 01, 2018
Observation date: May 12, 2012
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Bartow County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 01, 2018
Observation date: May 21, 2017
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 20, 2018
Observation date: Jun 05, 2014
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 20, 2018
Observation date: May 25, 2017
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 04, 2018
Observation date: Jun 09, 2016
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Paulding County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 20, 2017
Observation date: Jun 09, 2016
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Paulding County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 20, 2017
Observation date: May 15, 2017
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Emanuel County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 20, 2017
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