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Great Purple Hair-streak
Butterfly.--The hind wings have a long tail, and are lobed at the anal angle. The wings are fuscous, iridescent bluish-green at the base. The body is bluish-green above. On the under side the thorax is black, spotted with white, the abdomen bright orange-red. The wings on the under side are evenly warm sepia, spotted with crimson at their bases, glossed with a ray of metallic green on the fore wings in the male sex, and in both sexes splendidly adorned at the anal angle by series of metallic-green and iridescent blue and red spots. Expanse, 1.35-1.50 inch.
Early Stages.--All we know of them is derived from the drawings of Abbot, published by Boisduval and Leconte, and this is but little. The caterpillar is said by Abbot to feed on various oaks.
It is very common in Central America and Mexico; is not scarce in the hot parts of the Gulf States; and is even reported as having been captured in southern Illinois. It also occurs in Arizona and southern California.