Hemiargus ceraunus

Hemiargus ceraunus
Conservation status
	; Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Hemiargus
Species:	H. ceraunus
Binomial name
	Hemiargus ceraunus; (Fabricius, 1793)
Synonyms
	Hesperia ceraunus Fabricius, 1793; Hemiargus hanno watsoni Comstock & Huntington, 1943; Hemiargus antibubastus Hübner, 1818; Argus pseudoptiletes Boisduval & Le Conte, [1835]; Lycaena ceraunus astenidas Lucas, 1857; Lampides zachaeina Butler & H. Druce, 1872; Lycaena gyas Edwards, 1871; Lycaena astragala Wright, 1905; Lycaena florencia Clémence, 1914;

Hemiargus ceraunus, the Ceraunus blue, is a 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.

The wingspan is 20–30 mm. The upperside of the males is light blue with a darker narrow border. Female are dark brown, often with blue wing bases. The underside is gray. Both wings have a row of dark postmedian dashes on the underside. 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

Hemiargus ceraunus antibubastus Hübner, [1818] (Florida)
Hemiargus ceraunus astenidas (Lucas, 1857) (Mexico, Costa Rica)
Hemiargus ceraunus gyas (Edwards, 1871) (Arizona, California)

References

Media related to Hemiargus ceraunus at Wikimedia Commons

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

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[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.