Hemiargus ceraunus

Last updated

Ceraunus blue
Ceraunus Blue (5076094341).jpg
Hemiargus ceraunus antibubastus, Florida
Ceraunus blue (Hemiargus ceraunus astenidas) underside Honduras.jpg
Hemiargus ceraunus astenidas, Honduras
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Hemiargus
Species:
H. ceraunus
Binomial name
Hemiargus ceraunus
(Fabricius, 1793)
Synonyms
List
  • Hesperia ceraunusFabricius, 1793
  • Hemiargus hanno watsoniComstock & Huntington, 1943
  • Hemiargus antibubastusHübner, 1818
  • Argus pseudoptiletesBoisduval & Le Conte, [1835]
  • Lycaena ceraunus astenidasLucas, 1857
  • Lampides zachaeinaButler & H. Druce, 1872
  • Lycaena gyasEdwards, 1871
  • Lycaena astragalaWright, 1905
  • Lycaena florenciaClémence, 1914

Hemiargus ceraunus, the Ceraunus blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. [2] It is found in the southwestern United States, southern Texas, Florida and the Florida Keys south through the West Indies, Mexico and Central America to South America. Strays may be found in North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas and Nevada. The habitat consists of open woodland, desert scrub, dunes, pastures, road edges and vacant lots.

Contents

Hemiargus ceraunus gyas in Mexico Hemiargus ceraunus gyas - Oscar Gonzalez Diaz - 417336433.jpeg
Hemiargus ceraunus gyas in Mexico

The wingspan is 20–30 mm. Adults are on wing year round in Texas and southern Florida and in late summer in other parts of the range. Adults feed on flower nectar.

The larvae feed on the flowers and seedpods of various woody legumes, including Cassia brachiata , Abrus precatorius and Prosopis species. [3]

Subspecies

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Hemiargus ceraunus Ceraunus Blue". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  2. Savela, Markku (March 22, 2019). "Hemiargus ceraunus (Fabricius, 1793)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus (Fabricius, 1793)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved January 9, 2020.