Lotis Blue Butterfly Facts
The Lotis Blue butterfly has been a source of interest for butterfly enthusiasts for some time now, mainly because there have been no sightings of this species for more than 20 years. As a result, very little is known about Lotis Blue butterflies, so most information found on them originates from species that are very closely related. This Lotis Blue butterfly is officially listed under the Endangered Species Act as "Endangered," though many believe it is already extinct.
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Description of the Female
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The male and female Lotis Blue butterflies look slightly different, making it easy to identify the gender. The female is usually brown to bluish-brown on the upper surface of her wings with a wavy stripe of orange towards the outer edge. Underneath, her wings are a light grey color with black spots and a row of orange to brown circles bordered in black near the outer edge.
Description of the Male
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The male Lotis Blue is deep blue to purple on the upper side of the wings. The wings are trimmed in black and have little fringes of white towards the outer edge. The underside of both sexes is the same as is their wingspan, which can measure up to 1 inch.
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Habitat
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The only places Lotis Blue butterflies have been seen are coastal marshes and bogs in northern California. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sightings were reported in Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin counties, but all of those reports were from before 1950. One of the suspected reasons for the Lotis Blue's disappearance is the destruction and eradication of the wetlands where they thrived.
Life Cycle
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Although the exact details of the Lotis Blue's life cycle are unknown, because no one has ever reported seeing a Lotis Blue larva, estimates have been made based on information gathered from related species and subspecies. It is believed that newly hatched larvae will begin feeding immediately and continue through the summer. During the winter months they enter a dormant phase and emerge to eat again in the spring. It is thought that the caterpillar (larvae) will feed for about a month until they enter the pupal stage. It is unknown exactly how long the pupal stage lasts but Lotis Blue butterflies emerge from late spring to early summer, after which they mate and lay their eggs.
Conservation Efforts
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The first step in saving this species is to find a population intact. As of May 2010, potential habitats for the Lotis Blue have not been surveyed yet. If the species is not yet extinct then further study should be made into what is causing their declining numbers. Once this is known then steps can be taken to stop the threat and begin re-growing the population.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit bog in tundra image by the_pleiades from Fotolia.com
