Hewitson's Blue Hairstreak Butterfly (Evenus coronata)
Pricing: No Specimens Available For Sale
Geographic Range: Southeastern Mexico to Ecuador
View: Underside & Top Views Sex: Female (top image) & Male (bottom image)
Size: Wingspan: 4.5-6 cm
Images Copyright 2003
Barbara Strnadova
Evenus coronata is a large, neotropical hairstreak butterfly. The dorsal surfaces of its wings are a brilliant shade of purplish-blue while the underside of the wings is colored in glittering shades of green. These green hues afford it excellent camouflage, for when it is at rest it folds its wings shut and blends right in with the leaves of its rainforest home. Although the sexes closely resemble each other, they can be distinguished when viewing the dorsal surfaces of the wings: males have much more blue coloring while the females having broader bands of black on the wing margins and a red spot at the base of each hind wing. Evenus coronata has been known by many different names. Originally, it was placed in the genus Thecla, and then later into the genus Theritas. Only recently has it found itself in the genus Evenus (Brevignon, 2002). Its common names are also numerous, with one reflecting the history behind this magnificent butterfly. The name "Hewitson's Blue Hairstreak" comes from the man who described the species in 1865, the British lepidopterist William Chapman Hewitson. It is also known locally in some parts of its range as the Magnificent Greatstreak, the Supreme Greatstreak or the Crowned Hairstreak – depending on where you are.