Sloe Hairstreak (satyrium acaciae)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 10743_male_Var_23May08 | 6799_female_Alpes Maritimes_9Jun07 |
This is one of a family of very similar hairstreaks of the satyrium family, including Ilex (S. ilicis), False Ilex (S. esculi), White-letter (S. w-album), Black (S. pruni) and Blue-spot (S. pruni). Acaciae has larger and rounder red spots on the unh with internal black triangles on the margin and black edging externally. The post-discal white line is also (usually) quite strong and almost straight (c.f. ilicis and w-album). Although it looks superficially similar to the other satyrium species, with a clear view it can be identified with some confidence.
Prior to 2004 I had only seen it in one locality in the Alpes Maritimes. In 2004 I saw it in several different localities, all at an altitude of 1000m+, but never more than one individual in any locality. In 2006 I found it in large numbers in Var from late May to late June with a peak emergence around the second week in June when it was out in good numbers, flying in company with both ilicis, esculi, and spini. The low-lying yellow flowers of the helichrysum family seemed to be a strongly favoured nectar source of all the satyrium species, often with several hairstreaks on each flowerhead. I revisited the same site in 2007 and 2008 and the satyrium hairstreaks could be counted in hundreds.
The sexes are similar, but it appears that the female has a more prominent post-discal line, stronger lunules and markings and slightly longer tails. The tip of the female abdomen is black (just about visible in 6799 below).
10743: a male, I suspect, based on the tip of the abdomen is just visible and does not appear to be black.
6799: a female, based on the strong black-edged white discal line extending the entire length of both wings, and the just-visible black tip at the end of the abdomen. Altitude 1000m.
6799_female_Alpes Maritimes_9Jun07
