A New Host Plant Association for the White-M Hairstreak, Parrhasius m-album (Boisduval & Le Conte, [1833])

Abstract

Lepidoptera and their associated host plants have long been studied to gain insight into their coevolutionary arms race and adaptive radiations through time (Fordyce 2010, Hardy & Otto 2014, Edger et al. 2015). Butterflies, in particular, are among the most commonly studied insect taxa in the world based on their charismatic beauty, relative ease to identify, and importance to ecosystem services such as pollination, herbivory, and prey animals (Cech and Tudor 2005, Andrew et al. 2012). Here, we present observational evidence of a new host plant for the white-m hairstreak, Parrhasius malbum (Boisduval & Le Conte, [1833]). This hairstreak is found along the East Coast from Vermont to Florida, west to Minnesota, south to Texas, and east along the Gulf Coast (Brock & Kaufmann 2003, Bugguide 2023). Its recorded host plants are mostly oaks (Quercus spp.), with a single record of basswood (Tilia sp.) (Iftner et