What Is the Karner Blue Butterfly Predator?

What Is the Karner Blue Butterfly Predator? thumbnail
A dragonfly, one predator of adult Karner blues.

The Karner blue is a butterfly found in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Its main predators are spiders and insects.

  1. Larvae and Eggs

    • There are few confirmed predators of Karner blue larvae and eggs. Spined soldier bugs, paper wasps and some ants have been seen removing larvae, while the seven-spotted lady beetle has been confirmed to prey on them. Other insects are suspected but not confirmed.

    Adults

    • Spiders, robber flies, ambush bugs and dragonflies prey on adult Karner blues. Assassin bugs are suspected but not confirmed.

    Parasitoids

    • Parasitoids, or parasites that kill their hosts, also prey on the Karner blue. Main parasitoids include braconid and ichneumoid wasps as well as tachinid flies.

    Vertebrates

    • It is possible that birds prey on Karner blues. White-tailed deer also have been seen eating eggs, larvae and pupae, although this may be unintentional consumption as the deer grazes.

    Defense

    • As no intentional vertebrate predators have been confirmed, it is possible the Karner blue butterflies have some smell, taste, or toxin that serves as a defense against predators.

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References

  • Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of yunguyen666

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