Overview
Blues are tiny to small butterflies of the Family Lycaenidae. Distributed worldwide, they are most diverse in Southeast Asia, tro pical 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. [1]
Taxonomy
The Subfamily Polyommatinae is a member of the Family Lycaenidae. Here is the complete "parentage" of Polyommatinae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Superorder: Panorpida
- Order: Lepidoptera
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Family: Lycaenidae
- Gossamer Winged Butterflies
- Subfamily: Polyommatinae - Blues
- Family: Lycaenidae
- Gossamer Winged Butterflies
- Infraorder: Heteroneura
- a genus of Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)
- Order: Lepidoptera
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
- Superorder: Panorpida
- Cohort: Myoglossata
- Infraclass: Pterygota
- Winged Insects
- Subclass: Dicondylia
- Class: Insecta
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
- Superclass: Panhexapoda
- Infraphylum: Atelocerata
Heymons, 1901
- Subphylum: Mandibulata
Snodgrass, 1938
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Subfamily Polyommatinae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Tribe (4): Candalidini · Lycaenesthini · Niphandini · Polyommatini
- Genus (67): Actizera · Agriades · Agrodiaetus · Albulina · Anthene · Aricia · Azanus · Brephidium · Cacyreus · Caleta · Candalides · Castalius · Catochrysops · Celastrina · Chilades · Cupido · Cupidopsis · Cyaniris · Cyclargus · Danis · Echinargus · Euchrysops · Euphilotes · Everes · Exilis · Freyeria · Glaucopsyche · Hemiargus · Icaricia · Iolana · Jamides · Lampides · Lepidochrysops · Leptotes · Luthrodes · Lycaeides · Lycaenesthes · Lycaenopsis · Lysandra · Maculinea · Meleageria · Nacaduba · Neolucia · Neurellipes · Neurypexina · Niphanda · Parelodina · Petrelaea · Philotes · Philotiella · Phlyaria · Pithecops · Plebejus · Plebicula · Plebulina · Polyommatus · Pseudonacaduba · Repens · Rhode · Syntarucus · Talicada · Tarucus · Triclema · Udara · Vacciniina · Zizina · Zizula
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 5,206 species and subspecies in the Subfamily Polyommatinae.
Genera
Actizera
Actizera is a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.They are found in the Afrotropic ecozone. [more]
Agriades
Agriades is a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae found in North America, Europe, and Asia. [more]
Agrodiaetus
Agrodiaetus is a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The members (species) are found in the Palearctic ecozone. Species group in Polyommatus in Funet but see Wikispecies. [more]
Albulina
Albulina is a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.The members (species) are found in the [[Palearctic ecozone]. [more]
Anthene
Anthene is a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, commonly called the Ciliate Blues or Hairtails. [more]
Aricia
Aricia can refer to: [more]
Azanus
Azanus, commonly called Babul Blues, is a genus of butterflies found in Africa and southwestern Asia. [more]
Brephidium
Brephidium is a genus of butterfly in the family . They are known commonly as pygmy blues. [more]
Cacyreus
Caleta
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Candalides
Castalius
Catochrysops
Celastrina
Chilades
Chilades is a genus of in the family Lycaenidae. [more]
Cupido
Cupidon may refer to: [more]
Cupidopsis
Cyaniris
Cyclargus
Cyclargus is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. It was split off from the genus Hemiargus in 1948 by Vladimir Nabokov, although many lepidopterists have not accepted the new genus as valid. Nabokov designated C. ammon (Lucas's blue, from Cuba) as the type species for the genus, and included C. dominica (Jamaican blue, from Jamaica), C. thomasi (Thomas's blue, from Florida, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola), C. woodruffi (from the Virgin Islands) and C. erembis (from the Cayman Islands, synonym of C. ammon erembis). In 1992 K. Johnston and Matusik described C. sorpresus and C. kathleena, both from Hispaniola. [more]
Danis
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[2] [more]
Echinargus
Euchrysops
Euphilotes
Euphilotes is a genus of butterfly in the Lycaenidae family, which consists a number of species found in western North America. Some of the species are endangered, such as the Smith's Blue, Euphilotes enoptes smithi. [more]
Everes
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia.[3] [more]
Exilis
Freyeria
Glaucopsyche
Hemiargus
Icaricia
Iolana
Jamides
Jamides is a genus of in the family Lycaenidae. [more]
Lampides
Lampides is a genus of in the family Lycaenidae. [more]
Lepidochrysops
Lepidochrysops is a genus of in the Lycaenidae family. It contains the following species: [more]
Leptotes
Leptotes can refer to [more]
Luthrodes
Lycaeides
Lycaenesthes
Lycaenopsis
Lycaenopsis is a genus of butterflies. [more]
Lysandra
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Maculinea
Maculinea is a of lycaenid butterflies, often treated as a subgenus of Glaucopsyche. [more]
Meleageria
Nacaduba
Nacaduba is a of gossamer-winged butterflies (Lycaenidae). It contains many of the species commonly called "lineblues". As they are the genus initially erected to contain all lineblues, they might be considered the "typical" lineblues, as opposed to the species relatives now separated in Catapyrops, Prosotas and Petrelea. [more]
Neolucia
Neurellipes
Neurypexina
Niphanda
Parelodina
Petrelaea
Philotes
Philotiella
Phlyaria
Pithecops
Plebejus
Plebicula
Plebulina
Polyommatus
Polyommatus is a genus of . [more]
Pseudonacaduba
Repens
Rhode
Rhode may refer to [more]
Syntarucus
Talicada
Tarucus
Tarucus is a genus of of the family Lycaenidae. [more]
Triclema
Udara
Vacciniina
Zizina
Zizula
At least 12 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Zizula.
More info about the Genus Zizula may be found here.
Footnotes
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Plebulina&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Danis&search=Search
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Everes&search=Search
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
- Photographs on this page are copyrighted by individual photographers, and individual copyrights apply.
- The technology underlying this page, including the controls behind Keep Exploring, is owned by the BayScience Foundation. All rights are reserved.