Summary ³

Rare. Flies January through August. The Western Tailed-blue (Cupido amyntula) is a member of the Lycaenidae family and is seen across western North America as far norther as Alaska. The upperside of the male butterfly is blue while the female has a darker brown band on the outer side of the wing. The underside is riddle with black spots, with a wingspan of 2.2 to 2.9 cm. The larvae feed on Thermopsis, Astragalus, Oxytropis, Vicia, and Lathyrus.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Five Acre Geographic, some rights reserved (CC BY-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/fiveacregeographic/8844139148/
2. (c) Doug Waylett, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/dougcwaylett/2598126923/
3. Adapted by Donna Pomeroy from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupido_amyntula

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Moth Photographers Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

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