Diet

• Caterpillars feed principally on monocotyledonous plants. Hosts include Bromeliaceae, Heliconiaceae and Haemodoraceae.

• Adults feed on flower nectar.

Range

• Strymon ziba has a broad Neotropical distribution extending from Mexico through Central America and much of South America, reaching southern Brazil and Argentina.

• It occurs in Guerrero and is found in the Zihua region.

Habitat

• Found in tropical and subtropical lowlands, including tropical dry forest, forest margins, scrub, second growth and other relatively open habitats.

• Its association with Heliconia and bromeliads also allows it to occupy somewhat moister forest-edge and riparian environments.

• Adults are typically encountered around flowering vegetation, while females search among suitable monocotyledonous plants for flowering structures on which to lay their eggs.

Description

• A small hairstreak with predominantly brown to grey-brown wings. The underside is pale grey-brown with fine darker transverse markings and conspicuous reddish-orange spotting near the hindwing margin.

• Each hindwing bears a slender tail. The combination of the tail, reddish marginal markings and subdued grey-brown ground colour gives the resting butterfly a characteristically patterned appearance.