The Butterflies of the World Foundation

A Non-Profit Organization

Cupido comyntas, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 26 September 2005                                                                           Ref #:  I-322-19

Cupido comyntas, two individuals with one Reakirt’s Blue, Echinargus isola, on horse manure, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 23 September 2005                                                                           Ref #:  I-322-13

Cupido comyntas, Little Yellowstone Park, Barnes County, North Dakota, 29 August 2003

                                                                                                 Ref #:  I-215-5

Cupido comyntas, Little Yellowstone Park, Barnes County, North Dakota, 29 August 2003

                                                                                               Ref #:  I-215-8.3

Cupido comyntas, mated pair, Mirror Pool Wildlife Management Area, Ransom County, North Dakota, 30 August 2003                                                      Ref #:  I-216-12.1

Cupido comyntas, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 29 September 2005                                                                          Ref #:  I-328-8.1

Cupido comyntas, demonstrating “mud puddling” behavior, J. T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve, Cherokee County, Oklahoma, 2 April 2007                Ref #:  I-366-17.2

Cupido comyntas, Mirror Pool Wildlife Management Area, Ransom County, North Dakota, 30 August 2003                                                                           Ref #:  I-217-9.4

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Cupido comyntas, Godart, 1824

Subfamily Polyommatinae

Taxonomy

The family Lycaenidae is a large and varied worldwide group that has 4,000 to 6,000 species depending on the ever-changing taxonomic flux.  They are collectively called Gossamer Butterflies or Gossamer Wings.  The family is further divided into eight subfamilies.  The first is the Theclinae which includes the Hairstreaks, Sunstreaks, Elfins and others.  The second is the Polyommatinae which includes the Blues, Azures, Arguses, Caeruleans and others.  The third subfamily is the Lycaeninae which includes the Coppers, Sapphires, Silverlines and others.  The forth is the Poritiinae which includes the gems.  The fifth is the Miletinae which includes the Brownies, Harvesters, Darkies, Apeflies and others.  The sixth is the Curetinae which includes the Sunbeams.  The seventh family is the Lipteninae which includes about 500 tropical rainforest gossamer wings.  The eighth and final subfamily is the Liphyrinae and includes the Moth Butterflies.

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General Information:

Cupido comyntas belongs to the subfamily Polyommatinae.  This butterfly’s range is throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and southeast Canada as well as parts of California then south to Costa Rica.Costa Rica.  This species can be found in most any sunny area from fields, edges of woods, vacant lots, gardens, roadsides and along lakes, rivers and ponds.

Lifecycle:

The larval food sources are many and include plants in the pea family including yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as well as various species of vetch (Vicia sp.), clover (Trifolium sp.), wild pea (Lathyrus sp.) and bush clover (Lespedeza sp.).  Males patrol near the host plants during daylight hours. Females lay eggs on flower buds and caterpillars eat buds, flowers and seeds. The caterpillar hibernates, pupating the following spring.

Cupido comyntas, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 2 June 2012                                                                                   Ref #:  I-523-20