Tmolus echion
| Tmolus echion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Tmolus |
| Species: | T. echion |
| Binomial name | |
| Tmolus echion (Linnaeus, 1767) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Red-spotted Hairstreak or Larger Lantana Butterfly (Tmolus echion) is a butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found from Brazil, north to Sinaloa and Tamaulipas in Mexico. Rare strays can be found in southern Texas. It was introduced to Hawaii in 1902 to control lantana.
The wingspan is 22-32 mm. Adults are on wing in May in southern Texas and all year round in Hawaii and Mexico. Adults feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on various tropical plants including verbena, mint and potato species.
Subspecies
- Tmolus echion echion
- Tmolus echion echiolus (Draudt, 1920) (Mexico)
External links