Euphilotes battoides

Euphilotes battoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Euphilotes
Species: E. battoides
Binomial name
Euphilotes battoides
(Behr, 1867)[1]
Synonyms
  • Rusticus battoides
  • Philotes battoides
  • Euphilotes glaucon
  • Rusticus glaucon
  • Philotes glaucon

Euphilotes battoides, the square-spotted blue or buckwheat blue, is a species of butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found from Washington south to Baja California Norte and then west to southern Colorado and New Mexico.[2]

The wingspan is 16–17 mm. The upperside of the females is brown often with an orange band on the outer edge of the hindwings. Males are blue with dark borders and sometimes an orange band on the outer edge of the hindwings. The underside is off-white to grey with black spots. Adults are on wing from mid April to August in one generation per year. They feed on the flower nectar of various plant, but mostly Eriogonum species.

The larvae feed on the flowers and fruits of Eriogonum species. Ssp. battoides has been recorded on Eriogonum lobbii var. lobbii, Eriogonum incanum and Eriogonum polypodum, while ssp. glaucon feeds on Eriogonum umbellatum, Eriogonum ovalifolium var. nivale, Eriogonum heracleoides, Eriogonum sphaerocephalum var. halimioides and Eriogonum flavum var. piperi and ssp. comstocki feeds on Eriogonum umbellatum. Ssp. allyni has been recorded feeding on Eriogonum parvifolium var. parvifolium, Eriogonum cinereum and Eriogonum fasciculatum var. fasciculatum. The larvae are tended by ants. The species overwinters in its chrysalids in sand or leaf litter.

Subspecies

References

  1. ↑ Euphilotes at funet
  2. ↑ Butterflies and Moths of North America


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