(Cupido comyntas)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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IUCN Red List | not listed |
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NatureServe | N5 - Secure S5 - Secure |
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Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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Eastern tailed-blue is a small to medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of ⅞″ to 1⅛″. On the male, the upperside of both wings is medium blue with a broad black marginal band and a white fringe. The hindwing has a single hair-like tail and a row of submarginal black spots on the trailing edge. One or two of the spots near the tail are capped with orange. The tail from one wing of the wings is sometimes missing, having been lost to a predator. The female wings are similar but dark gray usually with no blue near the base. The underside of both wings is light gray with a thin black margin on the trailing edge; a marginal row of black eyespots; a postmedial row of black dots rimmed with white; and a well-defined, short, black, horizontal, medial stripe. The hindwing has additional medial, white-rimmed black spots; and orange caps on usually 2, sometimes 3, of the marginal eyespots near the tail. There is no blue eyespot near the outer angle. The eyes are black. The antennae are black-and-white striped with a white-tipped club. The caterpillar is wide, somewhat flattened, and short, no more than ⅜″ long. The head is small. It is retracted into the thorax except when feeding. The thorax and abdomen are moderately covered with conspicuous, usually white, sometimes black, star-shaped hairs. The thorax and abdomen are variable in color; sometimes green, sometimes brown tinged with yellow, pink, green, rose, or purple. There is usually a dark brown stripe on the upper (dorsal) surface extending from the thorax to abdominal segment 10. There is also a prominent dark stripe, sometimes edged in pink, in the subspiracular area extending from the thorax to abdominal segment 10. The are dare, ill-defined, oblique lines above the spiracles on thoracic segment 3 and abdominal segments 1 through 6. Mature caterpillars are found from June onward. |
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Size |
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Total length: ½″ Wingspan: ⅞″ to 1⅛″ |
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Similar Species |
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Western tailed-blue (Cupido amyntula) hindwing underside is paler. The black spots are more or less faint. The male has only one orange-capped black eye spot, but the adjacent spot is sometimes partially capped. The female has some blue at the base of the wings. |
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Habitat |
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Old fields, pastures, forest clearings, powerline cuts, roadsides, and other open areas. |
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Biology |
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Season |
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Three broods, mid-May to late September. |
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Behavior |
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Adults often rest with wings open at a 45° angle.. |
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Life Cycle |
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The females lay eggs singly on flowers and young leaves, or in spring on immature flowering buds. Larvae molt four times before pupating. Late season individuals overwinter as mature larvae, often in seedpods, and pupate in the spring. |
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Larva Hosts |
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Buds, flowers, seeds, and sometimes leaves of bush clover (Lespedeza spp.), clover (Trifolium spp.), lupine (Lupinus spp.), pea (Lathyrus spp.), sweet clover (Meliotis spp.), tick-trefoil (Desmodium spp.), vetch (Vicia spp.), and other herbaceous legumes. |
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Adult Food |
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Adults have a short tube-like tongue (proboscis) and must nectar on flowers that are open or have short tubes, such as white sweet clover, white clover, beggarticks (Bidens spp.), spreading dogbane, cinquefoil (Potentilla spp.), and strawberry (Fragaria spp.). |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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7/18/2022 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Common |
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Taxonomy |
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Order |
Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) | ||
Superfamily |
Papilionoidea (butterflies) | ||
Family |
Lycaenidae (gossamer-winged butterflies) | ||
Subfamily |
Polyommatinae (blues) | ||
Tribe |
Polyommatini (typical blues) | ||
Subtribe | Everina | ||
Genus |
Cupido (tailed blues) | ||
GBIF and Catalog of Life (CoL) place the North American “tailed blues” in the genus Elkalyce. No source for this change can be found. CoL lists the Nomenclature Status of Elkalyce comyntas as “potentially valid.” |
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Synonyms |
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Elkalyce comyntas Everes comyntas Lycaena comyntas |
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Common Names |
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eastern tailed-blue |
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Glossary
Pupa
The life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. In caterpillars, the chrysalis.
Spiracle
A small opening on the surface of an insect or arachnid through which it breathes.
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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Other Videos |
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Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterfly (Lycaenidae: Cupido comyntas) Worn Female Carl Barrentine |
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About
Published on May 27, 2012 Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (26 May 2012). |
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Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas) Timothy Ng |
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About
Published on Aug 12, 2012 The first one is female. The 2nd one is male with blue upperside. Kissena Corridor Park, New York City, 8/12/2012 (Sun) afternoon. camera: Panasonic GH2 + 100-300mm lens |
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Eastern Tailed Blue caterpillarnana |
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About
Published on Jul 17, 2013 Got wet for this one |
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Created 3/18/2019
Last Updated: