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This is a fairly small butterfly that occasionally shows the upper wings, which in the males are iridescent purple, while those of the female are brown with a purple patch on the forewing. The under wings carry the characteristic white line of the hairstreaks on a grey ground colour. There are two orange spots on the hind wing edge, the upper one with a black centre. There are very short tail streamers.
The caterpillars of this species grow up to 2.5cm in length, they are mixed shades of brown with a darker dorsal line and prominent lateral ridges.
Family: Lycaenidae
Scientific name: Neozephyrus quercus (Linnaeus 1758)
English common name: Purple Hairstreak
Spanish common name: Nazarena
Wing size: 24-28mm
Altitude: Sea level to 2000m
Flight time: June-September
Over-wintering: Caterpillar
Caterpillar food plant: Oak (Quercus sp.)
Distribution: Most of Europe Similar species: Spanish Purple Hairstreak (Laeosopis roboris) These lack the fine white lines and have a broad orange band on the wing edge, not the orange spots. Butterflies of Iberia
These are included in the list of butterflies in Andalusia.
Images taken in Andalucia, Southern Spain.
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