Celastrina lucia

Celastrina lucia
	Male, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
	Mer Bleue Conservation Area, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Celastrina
Species:	C. lucia
Binomial name
	Celastrina lucia; (Kirby, 1837)
Subspecies
	C. l. lucia; C. l. lumarco Scott, 2006;
Synonyms
	Lycaena lucia Kirby, 1837; Lycaena marginata Edwards, 1883; Celastrina fumida (Scudder, 1889); Celastrina pseudora (Scudder, 1889); Celastrina brunnea Tutt, 1908; Celastrina subtusjuncta Tutt, 1908; Celastrina inaequalis Tutt, 1908; Celastrina ladon lucia;

Celastrina lucia, the lucia azure, northern azure, eastern spring azure or northern spring azure, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found eastern North America, ranging from the Maritimes south through the Appalachian Mountains to West Virginia.^[2]

The wingspan is between 22–35 mm. Adults are sexually dimorphic. The dorsal wing surface of males is blue, while females have a broad, dark brown outer forewing margin. They are on wing from April to July.^[3]

The larvae feed on Vaccinium species, including V. pallidum. The larvae may be green, yellow, pink or brown, depending on their food source.

Taxonomy[]

Until the early 1990s, most North American azures were thought to be a single species, Celastrina ladon. More recently, research has revealed that there are many different species of azures, including C. lucia,^[4] which had been treated as a subspecies of C. ladon.

Similar species[]

Cherry gall azure (C. serotina)
Holly azure (C. idella)
Spring azure (C. ladon)
Summer azure (C. neglecta)

Gallery[]

Variation in larval colour pattern of C. lucia found on Viburnum lentago (left column) and Cornus alternifolia (right column)

References[]

^ Celastrina lucia at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
^ Bug Guide
^ Fownes, Sherri; Schmidt, B. C. "Species Details Celastrina ladon lucia". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
^ Celastrina ladon complex - USA National Phenology Network

Data related to Celastrina lucia at Wikispecies
Media related to Celastrina lucia at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] Celastrina lucia at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera

[2] Bug Guide

[3] Fownes, Sherri; Schmidt, B. C. "Species Details Celastrina ladon lucia". University of Alberta Museums. E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum. Retrieved November 8, 2020.

[4] Celastrina ladon complex - USA National Phenology Network

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