Euphilotes ancilla, the Rocky Mountain dotted blue, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from Washington south to California and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan south through the Rockies and high plains to Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. The species was first described by William Barnes and James Halliday McDunnough in 1918.[1]

Rocky Mountain dotted blue
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Euphilotes
Species:
E. ancilla
Binomial name
Euphilotes ancilla
(Barnes & McDunnough, 1918)
Synonyms
  • Philotes ancilla Barnes & McDunnough, 1918

Its wingspan is from 17 to 23 mm.[2] Its habitats include sun-exposed rocky slopes and flats with host plant colonies.[3]

Larvae feed on various Eriogonum species, especially sulphur-flower.[1][4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Lotts, Kelly & Naberhaus, Thomas (2017). "Rocky Mountain Dotted-Blue Euphilotes ancilla (Barnes & McDunnough, 1918)". Butterflies and Moths of North America. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "Rocky Mountain Dotted Blue (Euphilotes ancilla) (Barnes & McDunnough, 1918)". Butterflies of Canada. Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  3. ^ "Euphilotes ancilla". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  4. ^ Savela, Markku. "Euphilotes ancilla (Barnes & McDunnough, 1918)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved June 14, 2019.