Bug FAQWhite M Hairstreak
Parrhasius m-album · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The White M Hairstreak has a wingspan of about 32 to 41 mm and females are larger than males. Its wings often show an iridescent sheen near the bottom.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The wings often have an iridescent look near the lower edge.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 32 to 41 mm across the wings. Females are larger than males.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on live oak (Quercus virginiana) and other oak species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larvae are light-green in color. Larvae feed on Quercus virginiana and related oak species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to the United States in the regions listed above.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 37 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, New Jersey.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrhasius_m-album
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 2026-10-23.