User:Tkshimiz/Cupido Amyntula

Introduction

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C. amyntula on a flower with all the physical wing characteristics.

The western-tailed blue (Cupido amyntula) are non-migratory butterflies that commonly take flight during the Spring and Summer from March-July. They can be best classified as having a presence of a tail on their hindwing, an upper surface that's bluish while the under surface is chalky-white with occasional black spots, and an orange spot toward the base of their tail. Their wingspan ranges from 0.875 to 1.125 inches (2.2 to 2.9 cm). The larvae feed on various plant species including Astragalus (several species), Lathyrus (several species), Lotus, Oxytropis, and Vicea (several species) [1] while adults feed on various things such as flower nectar, horse and coyote manure, urine, and mud.[2]

Habitat

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The western-tailed blue (Cupido amyntula) can be most abundantly found in open areas containing low shrubs extending throughout western North America from as high as south Alaska to as low as northern Baja California.[3] These species prefer to reside more in forest densities, with equal presence in mature and young forests, compared to grassland habitats within these regions.[4] They also have no preference for an open tree canopy cover and are equally likely to be found in mature forests adjacent to agricultural fields, young forests, and grasslands.[4] They are found in higher densities of host plant cover and nectar plants among certain sites including meadows, prairies, and young forests. Within these locations, adult C. amynula visits white, purplish, yellow, or pinkish flowers, including Sedum lanceolatum and Astragalus flexuosus.[5] The density of these species is highest where nectar plants and forest openings are widely available. Other habitat characteristics these species are known for include moist woodland openings under mature, open forests.

Reproductive Characteristics

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Upper side view of C. amyntula wing.

During mating, the male and female C. amyntula join tips of their abdomen and the male passes sperm to the female to fertilize its eggs in which they typically lay up to 3 eggs on a single host plant flower or on young seed pods. [6]

Females

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Females are characteristic of a brown wing with blue coloring at the base. Once fertilized, females can lay up to 80 eggs per ovariole. [7] Eggs hatch in about 4-5 days and develop from instar to pupa in about 14-25 days. Adults then emerge from pupae in 11-14 days. [8]

Males

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Male C. amyntula typically perch and patrol between shrubs, hillsides, and gully mouths throughout the day in search for a receptive female to mate with. [9] Males can also be distinguished by a blue upper surface.

Caterpillars

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The caterpillars of the C. amyntula vary from brownish yellow to green and are covered in fine white hairs marked with a red or green stripe running along the back and diagonal pinkish and reddish-purple dashes on the side. They typically grow an average length of 1/2 an inch. [10]

References

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  1. ^ Marshall, Christopher; Shepard, Jon; Hammond, Paul (2019-04-22). "Specimen records for North American Lepidoptera (Insecta) in the Oregon State Arthropod Collection. Hepialidae Stephens, 1829". Catalog: Oregon State Arthropod Collection. 3 (2). doi:10.5399/osu/cat_osac.3.2.4590. ISSN 2576-1943.
  2. ^ "Colorado State University program for developing, testing, evaluating and optimizing solar heating and cooling systems". 1991-01-07. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ Wright, P. L. (1979-08-20). "Burt, W. H., and R. P. Grossenheider. A FIELD GUIDE TO THE MAMMALS. (Third Edition). Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, xxvii + 289 pp., illus., 1976. Price: $9.95 (Paperback, $5.95)". Journal of Mammalogy. 60 (3): 664–665. doi:10.2307/1380126. ISSN 1545-1542.
  4. ^ a b Hess, Anna N.; Falkowski, Michael J.; Webster, Christopher R.; Storer, Andrew J.; Pocewicz, Amy; Martinuzzi, Sebastiàn (2013-04-XX). "Employing lidar data to identify butterfly habitat characteristics of four contrasting butterfly species across a diverse landscape". Remote Sensing Letters. 4 (4): 354–363. doi:10.1080/2150704X.2012.734932. ISSN 2150-704X. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Scott, James A. (2019-12-31). "Butterflies of the southern Rocky Mountains area, and their natural history and behavior". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ Scott, James A. (2006-04-27). "Butterfly hostplant records, 1992-2005, with a treatise on the evolution of Erynnis, and a note on new terminology for mate-locating behavior". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Ehrlich, Anne H.; Ehrlich, Paul R. (1978). "Reproductive Strategies in the Butterflies: I. Mating Frequency, Plugging, and Egg Number". Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 51 (4): 666–697. ISSN 0022-8567.
  8. ^ Devries, P. J. (2013-09-XX). "Life Histories of Cascadia ButterfliesLIFE HISTORIES OF CASCADIA BUTTERFLIES. 2011 by David G. James & David Nunnallee . 447 pp. Publisher: Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. Price: US $35. ISBN 978-0-87071-626-3". Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society. 67 (3): 231–231. doi:10.18473/lepi.v67i3.a12. ISSN 0024-0966. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Rutowski, Ronald L. (1991-11-XX). "The Evolution of Male Mate-Locating Behavior in Butterflies". The American Naturalist. 138 (5): 1121–1139. doi:10.1086/285273. ISSN 0003-0147. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Michael., Pyle, Robert (1990). The Audubon Society field guide to North American butterflies. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-51914-0. OCLC 557804202.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)