New US record - rekoa (hairstreak) butterfly caterpillars

I found five of these strange looking caterpillars on my duranta purple sky flower bush (aka d. repens, d. erecta, saphire showers, golden dewdrops) in Edinburg (south Texas).

There are no photographs in existence of this caterpillar (until now). This has been determined to be a rare rekoa. NABA has placed them on their local website as a new US record.

A local NABA rep, his wife and their son, are the foster parents to my five. They have been involved with NABA for several years and are much more experienced in raising cats. He also has a much better macro lens on his camera.

He also found a pupa in Mission, TX and a beautiful rekoa eclosed on Friday and was released back into the wild on Saturday.

We are waiting to see what my five will turn out to look like. If all goes well, we should have five healthy and beautiful butterflies. Hopefully they will also find mates and be able to procreate! Everyone involved will have the opportunity to take plenty of photographs before they are set free back into the wild near the duranta bush from whence they came.

This is wonderful news for Texas as our local NABA is having their butterfly festival in October!!! I will be able to meet many of the butterfly scientists and entomologists I only know through emails and phone calls.

A million thanks to Texas Entomologist/author Mike Quinn and leading butterfly/caterpillar scientist/author Jim P. Brock!!!

~ Cat

Another photo of the caterpillar.

~ Cat

And a photograph of one getting ready to pupate. Notice how the ones eating the purple flowers have a purplish mauve coloring and the one on the green leaf...is greenish in color with just a slight hint of purplish mauve.

~ Cat

What a neat find. Congratulations!!!!!!!!!! Becky

Wow...that's awesome! Congratulations on a great find and good luck! Or maybe they're the lucky ones finding you LOL!

Wow!! That is wonderful, and exciting for you all! I have no idea what the butterfly is that you are talking about so I can't wait to see pics! I will have to go out tomorrow and check my 2 Durantas and see if I have any visitors. I don't ever closely inspect non-host plants, and both of mine are surrounded by other things. Keep us updated!

too kewl!

mg

congratulations, cat! very impressive. keep us posted.

If anyone finds any of these around their yards do let me know. As far as we know they have only been found in south Texas...but am sure they could be elsewhere...buy nobody ever noticed.

We are trying to record sighting and any other larval host plants these guys are using.

~ Cat

Wow, nature surprises you all the time doesn't it.

What a great discovery! I can't wait to see what the healthy butterflies look like. . . or the crysaliss (

Texas---Congratulations on the find! You must remember to keep us up to date on their progress!!!... Please don't forget...

How exciting! Will be waiting to hear more!
Julie

Howdy All,

We had a butterfly emerge today!!!

The butterfly will be released back into my backyard Tuesday morning on the duranta bush where it was found as a caterpillar (Edinburg, TX).

As the others emerge...they too will be released in my backyard.

~ Cat

These are two photos that Gil Quintanilla took earlier today.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/461819479/461819479JHsToU

http://community.webshots.com/photo/461819320/461819320DsOuTF

Our local South Texas NABA chapter shows the caterpillars, pupae and tthe butterfly that eclosed from the pupa found in Mission, TX.

http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/RioHa.html

It's a little Hairstreak?! I had no idea that's what it was going to be. That cat had to be really small then! I wasn't looking for something so small. I have lots of those little Hairstreaks tho. :)