Glaucopsyche xerces

• Overview
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Extinct

Common Names

Description

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]

Habitat

Biome: Terrestrial

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Provisionally Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Beccaloni G.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Glaucopsyche

There are approximately 141 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

G. aeruginosa · G. alaica · G. alcon · G. alexis (Green Underside Blue) · G. alexis alexis (Green-Underside Blue) · G. alexis cyllarus · G. alexis melanoposmater · G. algerica · G. alluaudi · G. alpina · G. andereggi · G. antolinezi · G. arcasi · G. argali · G. arion · G. arizonensis · G. astraea · G. australis · G. bamba · G. barnesi · G. basipuncta · G. behrii · G. blachieri · G. boursini · G. boydi · G. bronte · G. caeca · G. caerulea · G. caerulescens · G. cantabra · G. columbia · G. completa · G. corona · G. couperi · G. cyllarus · G. damaetas · G. damoetas · G. dimus · G. diversa · G. dymus · G. eckweileri · G. elongata · G. exerces · G. fascista · G. grumi · G. helena · G. huguenini · G. illustris · G. incognitus · G. intermedia · G. iolas · G. iphicles · G. jacki · G. justoi · G. lada · G. latimargo · G. latina · G. lederi · G. leussleri · G. loechensis · G. lopedevega · G. lugens · G. lycormas · G. lycormas lycormas · G. lygdamus (Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly) · G. lygdamus australis · G. lygdamus couperi (Couper's Blue) · G. lygdamus lygdamus (Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly) · G. lygdamus minipunctum (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus nittanyensis (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus oro · G. lygdamus palosverdesensis (Palos Verde Blue Butterfly) · G. lygdamus pseudoxerces (Silvery Blue) · G. lygdamus xerces (Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly) · G. marchandii · G. maritimalpium · G. mediopunctata · G. medunnoughi · G. melanoposmater · G. melanops · G. melanopsalluaudi · G. melanops algirica · G. melconi · G. mertila · G. mildredae · G. minor · G. minuscula · G. mirabilis · G. mironi · G. mittergergeri · G. morena · G. naevusnanus · G. nausithous · G. nittanyensis · G. ocellata · G. oeruginosa · G. oro · G. palosverdesensis · G. paphos · G. parvandereggi

More Info

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• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A synthesis of evolutionary theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1962. ENG url p. 352.
• Contributions to the natural history of the Lepidoptera of North America By William Barnes and J. H. McDunnough. Decatur, Ill., The Review press, 19 ENG url p. 117, p. 152.
• Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
• IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2602663
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-203293.0
• IUCN ID: 9244
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 4957

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]

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