Barry's Hairstreak
Callophrys barryi (Johnson, 1976)

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Diagnosis: Very similar to Rosner's Hairstreak except when very fresh. Fresh specimens of barryi have a pale greenish-grey cast to the underside of the hindwing, whereas those of rosneri have a violet-brown cast. Also, in barryi the submarginal row of four dark spots is very small and the hoary marginal band extends to the dark spots; in rosneri there are small orange patches separating the hoary band from the dark spots. Wingspan: 24 to 27 mm.

Subspecies: Subspecies acuminata from Vancouver Island is less yellowish than subspecies barryi from the interior.

Range: In Canada, Barry's Hairstreak is found on southern Vancouver Island on the Saanich Peninsula and at Yellow Point near Ladysmith (Guppy et al., 1994), and in several areas in the interior of southern British Columbia where Rocky Mountain Juniper grows.

Similar Species: Rosner's Hairstreak (C. rosneri). [compare images]

Early Stages: The larva is similar to that of Rosner's Hairstreak. It is apparently restricted in foodplant choice to Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum).

Abundance: Barry's Hairstreak is very local in distribution, but can be fairly common where Rocky Mountain Juniper grows.

Flight Season: Adults are on the wing from mid-April until late May.

Habits: Barry's Hairstreak is closely associated with its larval foodplant Rocky Mountain Juniper. Males perch on the foodplants waiting for females.

Remarks: The confusion between Barry's Hairstreak and Rosner's Hairstreak is discussed under Rosner's Hairstreak. Barry's Hairstreak is considered to be endangered on Vancouver Island because its foodplant is spotty in distribution in the dry belt of southeastern Vancouver Island and most populations of Rocky Mountain Juniper are threatened by urban expansion (Guppy et al., 1994).

© 2002. This material is reproduced with permission from The Butterflies of Canada by Ross A. Layberry, Peter W. Hall, and J. Donald Lafontaine. University of Toronto Press; 1998. Specimen photos courtesy of John T. Fowler.

The Toronto Entomologists' Association thanks Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for providing the content and computer code for this web page.