Sierra Nevada Blue
Encyclopedia
There are two species of butterfly with the common English name of "Sierra Nevada Blue".
The Spanish Sierra Nevada Blue (Polyommatus golgus) is a species of butterfly
in the Lycaenidae
family. It is endemic to Spain
.
The Sierra Nevada Blue, with habitat in the Sierra Nevada
in Andalusia
, is an endangered species
.
The US Sierra Nevada Blue is foudn in the mountains from Central California to Oregon.
Plebejus podarce (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside of male gray-blue, female red-brown. Underside of forewing with black arrowhead-shaped spots that point inward. Hindwing with discal spot not black.
Life History: Eggs are laid singly on leaves, bracts, or sepals of the host plant. Caterpillars or chrysalids hibernate.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 inches (2.2 - 2.6 cm).
Caterpillar Hosts: Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon).
Adult Food: Flower nectar including yellow composites and bistort.
Habitat: Subalpine meadows.
Range: Southern Oregon to central California in Klamath Range and Sierra Nevada.
Conservation: Not usually of conservation concern but the meadow habitat of subspecies podarce in California may be negatively affected by trampling from grazing cattle and hikers.
NCGR: G3,G4 - . Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range OR Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. All subspecies are of conservation concern.
Management Needs: Study impact of hikers and cattle grazing on habitat and populations. Comment: The Committee on Scientific Names of North American Butterflies considers podarce to be a subspecies of A. glandon.
Source:
www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Plebejus-podarce
The Spanish Sierra Nevada Blue (Polyommatus golgus) is a species of butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is endemic to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The Sierra Nevada Blue, with habitat in the Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada (Spain)
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the region of provinces of Granada and Almería in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3478 m above sea level....
in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, is an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.
The US Sierra Nevada Blue is foudn in the mountains from Central California to Oregon.
Plebejus podarce (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside of male gray-blue, female red-brown. Underside of forewing with black arrowhead-shaped spots that point inward. Hindwing with discal spot not black.
Life History: Eggs are laid singly on leaves, bracts, or sepals of the host plant. Caterpillars or chrysalids hibernate.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 inches (2.2 - 2.6 cm).
Caterpillar Hosts: Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon).
Adult Food: Flower nectar including yellow composites and bistort.
Habitat: Subalpine meadows.
Range: Southern Oregon to central California in Klamath Range and Sierra Nevada.
Conservation: Not usually of conservation concern but the meadow habitat of subspecies podarce in California may be negatively affected by trampling from grazing cattle and hikers.
NCGR: G3,G4 - . Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range OR Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. All subspecies are of conservation concern.
Management Needs: Study impact of hikers and cattle grazing on habitat and populations. Comment: The Committee on Scientific Names of North American Butterflies considers podarce to be a subspecies of A. glandon.
Source:
www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Plebejus-podarce
Source
- Gimenez Dixon, M. 1996. Polyommatus golgus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 31 July 2007.