Acmon blue
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Acmon Blue
Icaricia acmon, the Acmon blue, is a North American butterfly. It ranges mainly in California and Oregon but can also be seen in southwestern Canada and in the Great Plains Region of the United States, with a total range of about 2,500,000 square km. Because of the breadth of its range, it occurs in several different habitats, such as grasslands, fields, shrub lands, forests, and deserts.[2] Amcon blue was discovered by Pierre Lorquin in 1850, while he visited California during the Gold Rush. It is believed that Amcon Blue was discovered in the San Francisco area.[3]
Wingspan is between the range of 17-30 mm.[4] The tops of the wings are blue with dark edges in males and brown in females. Its underside is white with black spots for both sexes and a red-orange band on the hindwing.[5] Caterpillars are yellow with white hairs and a green stripe down the back.[4] The Acmon is richly colored, more specifically the females with contrasting rows of red lunules (sometimes fused into a band). Meanwhile, the male's hindwing lunules tend to become pink and may disappear during autumn.[6]
Like many other lycaenid butterflies, it has a mutualistic relationship with ants, who protect Acmon blue larvae in exchange for honeydew that the larvae secrete.
Diet
Adults: Feed on nectar
Caterpillars: Feed on, leaves, flowers,deerweed, buckwheats, lupines, trefoils, fruits of wild buckwheat, legumes such as trefoils,[7] and milkvetches.[8][4]
Risk of Extinction
Not much is known about the predators of this species, but the Acmon blue is at risk due to global warming and decreased/changing precipitation levels caused by human development.[9]
References
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