About Calycopis cecrops (Fabricius, 1793)
The red-banded hairstreak, with the scientific name Calycopis cecrops (Fabricius, 1793), is a butterfly species native to the southeastern United States. Adults of this species have a wingspan ranging from 0.9 to 1.25 inches, which equals 23 to 32 millimeters. Its larvae feed on fallen leaves of sumac species and other trees. It typically inhabits areas near coasts. This butterfly has a false "head" structure that helps it avoid predators. In a 2012 experiment, researchers exposed C. cecrops to the jumping spider species Phidippus pulcherrimus, and found that this false head is a very efficient strategy for deflecting predator attacks. The full genome of Calycopis cecrops was sequenced in 2016.
