Bug FAQLantana Scrub-Hairstreak
Strymon bazochii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
Also called: Smaller Lantana Butterfly
The lantana scrub-hairstreak has a wingspan of about 22 to 25 mm and metallic brown wings with speckled blue tones; males show white horizontal lines on the wings. It lives from Paraguay through Central America, the West Indies, Mexico and into southern Texas, and in Hawaii it feeds on lantana and basil plants. Adults are seen from May to December and there are two to three generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Metallic brown wings with speckled blue hues; males have white horizontal lines on the wings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 22 to 25 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat Lippia alba and Lippia graveolens in Texas; adults sip nectar from flowers such as Bidens alba, lantana species and Stachytarpheta jamaicensis.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Two to three generations occur each year; eggs are laid on Lantana urticoides and after about 31 days the caterpillar forms a chrysalis.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from May through December.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native range extends from Paraguay through Central America, the West Indies, Mexico to southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Hawaii, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see adult lantana scrub-hairstreaks?
Adults are active from May to December.
Source: Wikipedia
Why was this butterfly introduced to Hawaii?
It was released in 1902 to try to control invasive lantana, but it did not succeed.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strymon_bazochii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.