Celastrina lucia

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Celastrina lucia
Spring Azure-male.jpg
Male, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Spring Azure, underside.jpg
Mer Bleue Conservation Area, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Celastrina
Species:
C. lucia
Binomial name
Celastrina lucia
(Kirby, 1837) [1]
Subspecies
  • C. l. lucia
  • C. l. lumarcoScott, 2006
Synonyms
  • Lycaena luciaKirby, 1837
  • Lycaena marginataEdwards, 1883
  • Celastrina fumida(Scudder, 1889)
  • Celastrina pseudora(Scudder, 1889)
  • Celastrina brunneaTutt, 1908
  • Celastrina subtusjunctaTutt, 1908
  • Celastrina inaequalisTutt, 1908
  • Celastrina ladon lucia

Celastrina lucia, the lucia azure, northern azure, eastern spring azure or northern spring azure, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found eastern North America, ranging from the Maritimes south through the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia. [2]

Contents

The wingspan is between 22–35 mm. Adults are sexually dimorphic. They are on wing from April to July. [3]

The larvae feed on Vaccinium species, including V. pallidum .

Taxonomy

Until the early 1990s, most North American azures were thought to be a single species, Celastrina ladon . More recently, research has revealed that there are many different species of azures, including C. lucia, [4] which had been treated as a subspecies of C. ladon.

Similar species

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The upper surface is pale blue with an extensive dusting of white scales, especially on the hindwing. In some females the blue is almost entirely replaced by white with a small amount of blue near the wing bases. Females have a broad blackish-grey band on the outer third and costa of the forewing. The underside is chalky white to pale grey with tiny dark grey spots and a zigzagged submarginal line on the hindwing.

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<i>Celastrina idella</i> Species of butterfly

Celastrina idella, the American holly azure, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found on the east coast of the United States.

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<i>Celastrina echo</i> Species of butterfly

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References

  1. Celastrina lucia at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
  2. Bug Guide
  3. Fownes, Sherri; Schmidt, B. C. "Species Details Celastrina ladon lucia". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  4. Celastrina ladon complex - USA National Phenology Network