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.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
()
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
()
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
()
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
()
- Class:
Insecta
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Insects
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
()
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
()
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
()
- Superorder:
Amphiesmenoptera
()
- Order:
Lepidoptera
()
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Butterflies, Moths
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
()
- Family:
Lycaenidae
()
- Gossamer-wing Butterflies
- Genus:
Diaethria
()
- Specific name:
eluina
- Hewitson 1854
- Subspecies:
lidwina
- Scientific name: - Diaethria eluina lidwina
- Subspecies:
lidwina
- Specific name:
eluina
- Hewitson 1854
- Genus:
Diaethria
(
- Family:
Lycaenidae
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Superorder:
Amphiesmenoptera
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Class:
Insecta
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Diaethria
There are approximately 90 species in this genus:
D. adelographa · D. anna (Anna's Eighty-Eight) · D. antonia · D. artemis · D. astala (Navy Eighty-Eight) · D. asteria (Mexican Eighty-Eight) · D. aurelia · D. bacchis (White-Spotted Eighty-Eight) · D. beleses · D. bifasciata · D. bisosto · D. boliviana · D. bourcieri · D. branickii · D. brevipalpis · D. breyeri · D. caelinula · D. candrena · D. candrenoides · D. carmen · D. ceryx · D. charis · D. christopheri · D. clymena (Cramer's Eighty-Eight) · D. clymena marchalii · D. coelinula · D. colombiana · D. communicata · D. conjuncta · D. consobrina · D. cornelia · D. difascia · D. discalis · D. dissoluta · D. dodone · D. donckieri · D. ducei · D. elinda · D. eluina · D. eluina lidwina · D. euclides · D. eupepla · D. extrema · D. flava · D. gabaza · D. gabazina · D. granatensis · D. gueneei · D. heinrichi · D. hibernalis · D. hypera · D. hypoxantha · D. intermedia · D. janeira · D. kohleri · D. lidwina · D. longfieldae · D. lyde · D. maldonadoi · D. marchalii · D. marginata · D. merida · D. meridionalis · D. metiscus · D. mixteca · D. neglecta · D. nigeriae · D. nitens · D. nystographa · D. ocellata · D. panthalis · D. patlensis · D. patriotica · D. pavira · D. peruviana · D. phlogea · D. phlogeides · D. phytas · D. platytaenia · D. punctata · D. salvadorensis · D. septentrionalis · D. serofa · D. serpentina · D. sinamara · D. splendens · D. splenditissima · D. thalassina · D. wernickei · D. xicotepecensis
More Info
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Notes
Identifiers
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 2002410
