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Glaucopsyche lygdamus

(Silvery Blue)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Silvery Blue, Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly

Common Names in French:

Bleu Argenté

Description

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Family Lycaenidae

'The Lycaenidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Worldwide in distribution, this family has approximately 4,700 species that are unevenly distributed. Coppers are especially dominant in north temperate regions , blues are richest in the Old World tropics and north temperate zones, and hairstreaks are particularly abundant in New World tropics. The adults are typically small to tiny and often brilliantly colored--iridescent blues, bright reds, and oranges. Adults of both sexes have three pairs of walking legs , though most males have fused segments in their front legs. Most adults visit flowers for nectar, but some harvesters feed on wooly aphid honeydew and some hairstreaks feed on aphid honeydew or bird droppings. Females lay single, sea urchin shaped eggs on host leaves or flower buds; the resulting caterpillars are typically slug-shaped. In many species, caterpillars depend on ants for protection, so caterpillars produce sugary secretions that are collected by the ants. Most species overwinter in either the egg or pupal stage.

'[1]

Subfamily Polyommatinae

Blues are tiny to small butterflies of the Family Lycaenidae. Distributed worldwide, they are most diverse in Southeast Asia, tropical Africa, and northern temperate regions . Most of the nearly 50 North American species are found in the west. Adult males are predominantly blue above, due to reflected light rather than pigmentation . Some males and most females are largely brown above. Below, wings of both sexes are usually gray-white with black spots or streaks. Adults in some genera (Euphilotes, Lycaeides, Plebulina, and Icaricia) have more or less prominent orange submarginal bands on their hindwings . Most adults are found near their host plants , and they do not fly long distances , though some tropical and subtropical species undertake long migrations. Adults visit flowers for nectar. Males frequent moist sand and mud , and females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves or flowers. As caterpillars, they secrete sugary secretions that attract ants , and caterpillars of some species are raised in ant nests. Blues usually overwinter in the pupal stage.[2]

Physical Description

Species Glaucopsyche lygdamus

Upperside of male iridescent silvery blue with narrow dark borders ; female darker blue with wide borders. Both sexes have white fringe . Underside gray-brown; both wings with row of white-ringed, round black spots . Subspecies xerces (Boisduval) and pseudoxerces Emmel and Emmel have large white spots with or without black centers. (ref. 105758)

Color:

Upperside of male iridescent silvery blue with narrow dark borders ; female darker blue with wide borders. Both sexes have white fringe . Underside gray-brown; both wings with row of white-ringed, round black spots . Subspecies xerces (Doubleday) and pseudoxerces Emmel and Emmel have large white spots with or without black centers.

Size/Age/Growth

Wing span : 7/8 - 1 1/4 inches (2.2 - 3.2 cm).

Habitat

A variety of locations including open woods , coastal dunes, prairies, meadows, road edges , rocky moist woods, and brushy fields .

The species appears to be fairly restricted in habitat to places where Carolina vetch (Vicia caroliniana), and perhaps crown vetch (Coronilla varia), is present. We have found them along wooded roadbanks and along trails through hardwood forests where colonies of the vetch are present (and blooming). The forests may be cove forests or fairly dry forests, usually where sunlight reaches the vetch. The butterflies keep close to the vetch, not normally seen more than about 100 feet from them. In April 1996 the Carolina Butterfly Society found the species at one or two sites with crown vetch in Graham County. (ref. 104684)

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,925 meters (0 to 12,877 feet).[3]

Biology

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Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Astragalus, Lotus, Lupinus, Melilotus, Oxytropis, Lathyrus, Vicia, and other species in the pea family . Adult food: Nectar from flowers including Asteraceae.

The foodplant appears to primarily be Carolina vetch in NC, but crown vetch might also be used, though the use of this introduced species has perhaps not been confirmed. The species nectars on Carolina vetch or on other plants ; robin's plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) is often used as another nectar source. (ref. 104684)

Reproduction

Males patrol near the host plants for females. Eggs are laid singly on flower buds and young leaves of the host plants. Caterpillars feed on flowers, seedpods, and young leaves and are tended by ants . Chrysalids hibernate.

Behavior

Flight: One flight from March-June at low elevations , June-August at high elevations.

Flight period: A single brood; mid-April to mid-May. However, 2005 was an abnormally cool spring , and the species was recorded on several occasions as late as May 27. (ref. 104684)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Glaucopsyche

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 17 species and subspecies in this genus:

G. alexis (Green Underside Blue) · G. alexis alexis (Green-Underside Blue) · G. lygdamus (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus couperi (Couper's Blue) · G. lygdamus lygdamus (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus minipunctum (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus nittanyensis (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus palosverdesensis (Palos Verde Blue Butterfly) · G. lygdamus pseudoxerces (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus xerces (Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly) · G. paphos (Paphos Blue) · G. piasus (Arrowhead Blue) · G. piasus daunia (Arrowhead Blue) · G. piasus gabrielina (Arrowhead Blue) · G. piasus toxeuma (Arrowhead Blue) · G. piasus umbrosa (Arrowhead Blue) · G. xerces (Xerces Blue)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 17, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=16&sci=Lycaenidae&com=Gossamer-wing Butterflies [back]
  2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Plebulina&search=Search [back]
  3. Mean = 471.340 meters (1,546.391 feet), Standard Deviation = 520.620 based on 2,823 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/14/2012