Leptotes marina

Leptotes marina
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Leptotes
Species:	L. marina
Binomial name
Leptotes marina (Reakirt, 1868)
Synonyms
Lycaena marina Leptotes burdicki

Leptotes marina, the marine blue or striped blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in North America and Central America. [1] [2] [3]

Description

The wingspan is 22–29 mm. Adults are on wing from April to September in the north and all year round in south.[4] Its habitats include weedy, open sites and deserts.[5]

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  at Montebello, California

Ecology

The larvae feed on Astragalus, Amorpha californica, Acacia greggii, Dalea purpurea, Dolichos lablab, Galactia, Glycyrrhiza lepidota, Prosopis glandulosa, Lysiloma thornberi, Lathyrus odoratus, Medicago sativa, Lotus scoparius dendroides, Phaseolus, Wisteria sinensis and Plumbago.

Larvae are also associated with introduced Iridomyrmex humilis (Argentine ants).[6]

References

1. "Marine Blue (Leptotes marina) (Reakirt, 1868)". Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility. 14 December 2021.
2. Gall, Wayne K.; Andrle, Robert F (1994). "Significant Range Extension of Leptotes Marina (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Into New York State". The Great Lakes Entomologist. 26 (4).
3. ""Leptotes marina" (Reakirt, 1868)". Instituto de Biología, UNAM.
4. "Marine Blue Leptotes marina (Reakirt, 1868)". Butterflies and Moths of North America.
5. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
6. Brown, John Wesley (December 1989). "Urban biology of Leptotes marina (Reakirt) (Lycaenidae)". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 44: 200–201.