About Mitoura spinetorum (Hewitson, 1867)
Mitoura spinetorum (Hewitson, 1867), also known as Callophrys spinetorum or the thicket hairstreak, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Lycaenidae. It was first described by William Chapman Hewitson in 1867. This butterfly is distributed across North America, ranging from British Columbia south through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico and Mexico, and from California south to Baja California. Its natural habitats include pinyon-juniper forests, mixed woodlands, and coniferous forests. The wingspan of adult thicket hairstreaks measures between 25 and 32 mm. Adults have one generation per year, and they are active from May to August, when they feed on flower nectar. The larvae of this species are host-specific feeders, consuming the shoots, flowers, and fruit of dwarf mistletoes from the genus Arceuthobium. Documented host species for thicket hairstreak larvae include A. campylopodum, A. occidentale, A. abietinum, A. blumeri, A. cyanocarpum, A. laricis, A. vaginatum subsp. cryptopodum, A. divaricatum, and A. globosum. Larvae mimic their host plants: they match their hosts in appearance both due to their segmented body structure, and because they take on the color of the food they consume.
