Strymon istapa

Strymon istapa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Subfamily:	Theclinae
Genus:	Strymon
Species:	S. istapa
Binomial name
Strymon istapa (Reakirt, [1867])

Strymon istapa has many common names with the most well-known being The Mallow Hairstreak, Mallow-scrub Hairstreak, Dotted Hairstreak, or Hewitson’s Hairstreak. This diurnal butterfly is a widespread species that can be found in xeric habitats throughout the Southern United States, Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and rarely in South America.^[1] This species can be spotted in rural and suburban areas in which human infringement has created open fields or tracks of overgrown weeds as a result of land clearing. These butterflies are often seen rubbing their hindwings together presumably to attract attention to their antenna mimicry scales located on the outer margin of the hindwing.

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