These Juniper Hairstreaks Callophrys
gryneus gryneus were all photographed in Tarrant
County, North-central Texas: I've seen two rather unusual-looking
nominate gryneus at the same location (but different years),
among numerous "normal" ones; both have been a bit yellower
in tone on the underside, and had the HW postemedian band consisting
of straighter, more-separated white bars, plus the two HW white
cell bars have been subdued. I wonder if this due to intergrading
with siva (but if this is the case why so few, and why
such little variation among the general population?), or if something
else is going on?:
a) The first odd-looking gryneus (with a more-typical example
in the background):
b) the second odd-looking gryneus, fifteen months later,
at the same location, again with a more-typical individual for
comparison:
Here are some gryneus that I would call typical of the
ones in my area:-
c):
d) note the strong distal displacement of the uppermost white
bar in the FW postmedian band:
e) note the partial distal displacement of the uppermost white
bar plus the two lowermost white bars, in the FW postmedian
band:
- this pattern of white bars in the FW postemedian band is uncommon
but regular in my local gryneus, and is identical to that
of Hessel's Hairstreak C. hesseli - yet this is
the feature mentioned in all butterfly field guides for IDing
hesseli.... I would like to tentatively suggest that the
following features might be more consistent:-
- on the HW, the two inner white cell spots (A below) on hesseli
have an adjacent brown basal bar as well as brown distal
bar; gryneus does not have these inner brown bars.
- in the HW, the largest white bar in the postemedian band (B
below) on hesseli has a large brown patch (often two-lobed)
on the distal side, which gryneus never seems to have.
- on the FW, hesseli has a small white spot in the cell
(C below) which gryneus seems to lack.
Compare the image below with the lower photo on this
page at Randy Emmitt's fabulous web site:
