Dotted Blue

Due to the destruction of its habitat in California, the subspecies Euphilotes enoptes smithi was placed on the Endangered Species List in 1984 (Sbordoni and Forestiero 1998).

US Federal List: endangered

CITES: no special status

The development of blue dotted butterflies contains four main stages. The first stage is the egg, which is laid on the host plant. The second stage is the larvae that hatch from the eggs. The larvae then eat the flowers and developing seeds of the host plant in order to prepare for the formation of the pupa. Euphilotes enoptes leave the host plant and pupate at the base of the plant, usually in the soil or litter below it. When they emerge as adults, they continue the life cycle on and around the host plant (Peterson 1995).

Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis

The caterpillars have a honey gland which secretes a sugary solution that ants eat.

Mutualist Species:

• Formiciade

The larvae feed on the developing seeds, young fruit, and flowers of the host plant (Peterson 1995). Adults sip the nectar of flowers (esp. host flowers) and mud (Scott 1986). It is obvious that the host plants are essential to the feeding habits of blue dotted butterflies.

Plant Foods: seeds, grains, and nuts; fruit; flowers

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore , Granivore )

Blue dotted butterflies are found in the United States west of the Mississippi River and in Canada (Miller 1992). Populations tend to occur sporadically in conjunction with their host plant, Eriogonum compositum, a wild buckwheat (Peterson 1997).

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

Euphilotes enoptes is intimately associated with its host plants, where both it and the plants live in different elevations of the same geographic region (Peterson 1995). Within this region they tend to live in sun-exposed rocky or sandy flats or slopes in foothills, mountains, desert, and along coast (Opler, 2001).

Habitat Regions: temperate

Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; chaparral ; mountains

Adults have a short life span that is typically two to nine days long (Peterson 1995).

Eggs – The eggs are a pale bluish-green color that eventually turns white.

Larvae – The larvae vary among the subspecies in color from ivory white to yellow to brown.

Pupa – Among the subspecies the pupa also vary in color, ranging from brown to yellowish-brown to translucent yellow. (Scott 1986)

Adults – The appearance of adults varies with the geographic region. The upperside of the male is lilac blue surrounded by darker borders while the female tends to be brown with an orange spot or patch on the hindwing. Both sexes have similar undersides, typically off-white with brown spots. The black dots on the forewing are predominantly larger and more square-like than those of the hindwing with an orange band on the hingwing separated into dashes. (Opler, 2001)

Range wingspan: 18 to 23 mm.

Average wingspan: 20 mm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently

The host plant is central to the reproduction process as males search around the host plant for females. During courtship males land after females, and both contact each other and flutter their wings before they copulate (Scott 1986). The female then oviposits, or lays, the eggs on the flowers and buds of newly opened inflorescences, where they will hatch into larvae that will then eat the flowers and their developing seeds. It is because of this that the window for reproduction is so small; if there were no flowers for the larvae to eat they would die and the attempt at reproduction would be unsuccessful (Peterson 1995).

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

According to Brock and Kaufman (2003), the widespread and ecologically variablebutterfly "species" of western North America known as the Dotted Blue (Euphilotes enoptes) is likely a complex of several distinct species, but the systematics of this group requires further study.

Resident in patchy distribution of western North America (Scott 1986). Habitats are usually Transition to Canadian zone open woodland, sagebrush, chaparral, also lower Sonoran zone desert in the southwestern US. Host plants are usually herbaceous or shrubs, largely restricted to one genus Erigonum (Polygonaceae). Eggs are laid on the host plant flowers or buds singly. Larvae are tended by ants. Individuals overwinter as pupae, mostly in litter. There is one flight each year with the approximate flight time Apr1-Sept30, depending on subspecies. Occasionally a second flight occurs (Scott 1986).

Adults feed on flower nectar and mud. Males patrol for females (Scott, 1986).

Euphilotes enoptes, the dotted blue, is a species of blue (Polyommatinae) butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in North America.

The MONA or Hodges number for Euphilotes enoptes is 4367.