Spanish Purple Hairstreak (Laeosopis roboris) Moradilla del Fresno

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Spanish Purple Hairstreak (Laeosopis roboris) Moradilla del Fresno

Insects and other creepy crawlies - Butterflies

This is a fairly small butterfly that is most often high up in the trees, although luckily it does come down to feed off nectar too. The under wings are grey / brown with a strong orange border. There are metallic blue and black markings inside this border that are most striking on the hind wing. The upper wings are purple with a wide, almost black band.
The caterpillars of this species are small, grey / brown and somewhat similar to a wood lice in the shape of their backs.

Family: Lycaenidae
Scientific name: Laeosopis roboris
English common name: Spanish Purple Hairstreak
Spanish common name: Moradilla del Fresno

Wing size: 3.8-4cm
Altitude: up to 1,500m
Flight time: May to July
Over-wintering: Caterpillar, remaining in egg
Caterpillar food plant: Fraxinus excelsior
Distribution: Iberia, southern France

Similar species: Purple Hairstreak (Neozephyrus quercus) which has fine white lines mid wing and two orange spots.

Butterflies of Iberia
These are included in the list of butterflies in Andalusia.
Images taken in Andalucia, Southern Spain.

Laeosopis roboris