Great pictures of one of our smallest species of Rhops. When they "bloom" on the desert they number in the 10's of thousands and can actually be a nuisance when trying to concentrate on other species.

Just beautiful, Sandy!

Sherry

Beautiful! & Great pictures!
I have been planting more host plants for blues but not for this one! Would love to see one here!

Yes beautiful pictures of both the Aster and butterfly.

What is their host plant?

It's a fairly long list terrene, but their lava will use specific species from the Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Solanaceae, Bataceae and Aizoaceae families.

With their small size they will nectar on plants not commonly utilized by other lepidoptera, not even most other Lycaenidae species. I've seen them eagerly attacking plants in force that didn't appear to have any flowers at all, and I had to take a very close look to even see the flowers being used as they were so small (like pin head small).
Larry

Thanks, all. And Larry, thanks for addressing the LFP. Lila, I think this is one you could see in your part of Texas. It could be mistaken for the Eastern Tailed Blue or Cupido comyntas. There are smaller ETBs that are about the same size as the WPB (Western Pygmy Blue). And the Brephidium exilis rubs its wings together like the other blues. The coloring is the tip off. The brown stands out. The first WPB I saw was traveling with a bunch of Echinargus isola, or Reakirt's Blues. This is another similar sized butterfly.

I ran into a bunch of the B exilis down at McGee WMA in southern Oklahoma this past month. This is about 13 miles east of Atoka, Oklahoma. Plants I've seen them nectaring on are Sneezeweed, all types of asters, and native gaillardia. They are reported to fly all year in the south, including Texas.

Sandy

Sandy,

Not to rain on your parade girl, but I can't imagine ever mistaking E. comyntas for B. exilis... at least not based on all the different locations I've seen either species at.

Some observations (based only on personal experience) why a trained eye probably shouldn't confuse these two species even with species variation IMO.

Certainly not in base color, no matter whether comnytas is in it's paler spring form or even the darker summer form that is closer, nor due to the wing markings or size either. B. exilis males have always been smaller than comnytas males (up to 50%, but always way smaller), and exilis females 30% or more smaller than comnytas females AND males. IOW, I've seen exilis males with barely a half inch wingspan and big females no more than maybe a third larger, but doubt I've seen any comyntas males or females smaller than a little less than an inch. And don't forget the "tails" if still present.

In E or SE TX I would think it would be far easier to mistake a B. exilis female with a stray B. pseudofea male or female. There is no way to mistake a male B. exilis with pseudofea though due to both size and base color.

Hmmm... FWIW. ;)

Larry

OK, Larry, some people do not see the differences in leps that you see because they haven't had the years of experience you have had. I can truly say that I didn't see the differences until I seriously started participating in butterfly counts and had to quickly ID BFs. And I continue to become more aware of size and color variants as I pursue photographing the different species that occur in this area. And, as I branch out, I will see more. Five years ago if I had seen a White Form Nathalis iole, I wouldn't have known what I was seeing or that it was special.

Here I see C comyntas that are close to the half inch size. E isolas, C comyntas, and B exilis are all very similar in size HERE in our area. You can throw in Leptotes marina and cassius as well. The Celastrina complex are usually larger. Yes, comyntas usually have tails. I have also seen some comyntas that are quit large, rivaling the Strymon melinus in size. There is a LOT of size variation, some seasonal. However, the more familiar I become with all species, I am more aware of the great size variation among lots of species. Hesperiidae, in particular, come in small, medium and large--especially the subfamily Hesperiinae, and Atalopedes campestris.

I wish I had been more observant 2 weeks ago when out in the field. I found the different forms of the Midwestern blend of Hesperia leonardus (a new one for me), but I didn't see the few H. meskeis that were also in the mix. A friend got the photos of the meskei which turned out to be a state record. I am still learning, and have lots and lots to learn.

I wrote the previous post to help someone distinguish between something they may see on a daily basis, so that they would look for the big difference--the color. When I see these tiny guys, my first thought is "blue" or Polyommatini. The color is unique to B exilis for me, as B pseudofea has not been seen in this area. However, I always examine closely as that's the way new bugs are discovered in an area, and I've got several records for new bugs. For Lila, who lives in north Texas, B pseudofea would be a reach, and possibly a record.

Anyway, haven't had a good debate with you in some time. ; )

Sandy

Sandy,

Always welcome a debate from someone I know has "earned" their knowledge from actually doing in the field like I have. The easy reply would be that I'd bet I've seen both species in more places over a much larger range than you have (although I don't remember if in OK). As I said in the previous post, based on "my" many observations in many places, these two species are not hard at all to determine against each other, and I'll add "on a daily basis".

As for your other comparisons (E. isola, L. marina and L. cassius), their general size range from small to large are all larger than those of B. exilis, AND their color and markings would never point to B. exilis anyway IF you know those differences. As you mentioned, B. exilis has very distinct color and markings to go along with its small size. So between size, color and markings I still stand on what I said before that I can't imagine B. exilis and E. comyntas being confused if you know anything about both speciess. As you know from your field experience, until you "just know" by instinct from seeing so many of a species, when one is encountered you have to consider all characteristics noticed and not just color or size, and better yet at least those characteristics specific to a species.

With B. pseudofea, while I knew Lila is in TX I didn't know where... why I suggested E and SE TX as they have been recorded as strays in those parts of the state.

I'm certainly not an expert in Lycaenidae, far from it, but I have to stand on my perceptions of what I've seen in the field many times in many places to be the most common traits in any species until somebody can prove different to me. That's one of the things that keeps you coming back to Lepidoptera, that there is always something new to discover or learn no matter whom you are. But nobody has changed my mind on the comparison between exilis and comyntas yet. ;)

Learning how to determine Lepidoptera is progressive, most folks probably start by learning the differences between Rhopalocera, Macroheterocera and Microlepidoptera. Then they start to recognize characteristics that place them in families, genera and species. Somewhere along the way they might pick up on subfamilies, tribes, sub tribes, etc, subspecies, forms, aberrations, colony clines, their ranges and what the characteristics are that set them apart from each other and species and below levels. Just the Lepidoptera of this country alone would be a massive undertaking to learn well, and I seriously doubt anybody has ever accomplished it (or ever will). It gets even more interesting when you also add the Lepidoptera from other countries I can assure you. Why even professional Lepidopetrists' specialize in specific interests areas, and for some folks why in species only seen in a home garden.

BTW, if you want to debate Hesperiidae you'll have to find someone else. Like with the stinky gray and stinky brown moths, they have always been just stinky brown butterflies to me. LOL

Larry

I'm chuckling, Larry. Guess the reason I started learning about hesperiidae is that is what I see most of in the garden. Seems I read a similar comment lately. LOL

I agree that after being exposed to Brephidium exilis, you won't mistake it for anything else, except maybe a B. pseudofea. That's one I'd like to see someday.

"That's one of the things that keeps you coming back to Lepidoptera, that there is always something new to discover or learn no matter whom you are." I am still just a novice, and will never ever get close to the level you have achieved. But, I sure do enjoy making new discoveries and building on my observation skills. You've been a great encouragement. The best thing you give us on this forum is the way you challenge us to learn more and be more pedantic in our approach to lepidoptera. I use the word pedantic in a positive way to mean scholarly and learned.

Anyone else reading this post--the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. And the more I realize I don't know, the more I want to learn.

As to debating hesperiidae, I've got friends here locally that challenge me in that respect. So . . . that's OK if you don't want to go there. ; )

Sandy

Sandy,

It's true that by far more Hesperiidae have visited my place the last two years than all the rest of the species combined. ;(

I am still a novice of sorts as well in Lepidoptera, especially since my interests in them extends well beyond my garden, state or NA to worldwide species.

Thanks for your interest, support and tolerating my posts. You have taken the interest to learn, get out and do the counts and field work and have come a long way's since I've known you. Passing on from long experience is the only way I can do Lepidoptera now days since my field work time is over. It has been an uphill challenge on this forum, both for me and for the good folks here. But I keep sticking to my guns using taxonomic assignments instead of common names and initialisms in hopes some here will take the extra effort to find out what they are and so start learning taxonomy from them. That's the way and the why I learned Lepidoptera and Latin from the very start, as taxonomic assignments are the only references that leads directly to each bug even if it has been reassigned along the way. The rest mostly comes from experience doing the work myself and studying trusted references. A large part of understanding is being analytical, logical and using common sense as well. Understanding Lepidoptera is after all a science. And a major part of making new discoveries is getting out of your garden, studying them in their wild habitats to learn even more (like you do often). Like with all things, Lepidoteran knowledge gained is in direct proportion to what you put into it.

Your comment says it well... the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know - and the more you realize you don't know, the more you want to learn. And the learning and new discoveries never end.

You just had to end your post on Hesperiidae didn't you? But, I still do not have enough interest in them for me to dive into that family much beyond the noteable exceptions I did for specific projests during my active years. So with the Hesperiidae I would be a novice compared to you most likely. Andy became the expert on Hesperiidae worldwide by working on them seriously since a youngster, through college, doing his doctorate dissertation on them in college, taking on the challenge of doing re-determinations of the entire synoptic collection of this family at the Department of Evolutionary Biology in Mexico City, as a research associate for the National University of Columbia, as a coauthor of many papers on this family (and many others), and I'm sure he will still be learning when he takes his last breathe. When I did field work with him several times in 3-4 states (befor3e he graduated from high school) he knew more about NA Hesperiidae than anyone else I did field work or projects with except maybe Cliff Ferris. Still a young man yet he's a stellar example of what can be accomplished in the field of Lepidoptera when you set your mind to it.

How about we make the next debate one on the worldwide Parnassiinae, their tribes, genera, species, subspecies and ranges?

Larry

(......yawn......, sorry guys) I think I have a day off today. The week started on Sunday, with another trip to the ER with daughter. Kenna has been sick, too, and Nanna is about worn slick.

Love the photo, Sandy! I am not seeing anything nowadays, except maybe a lone Dainty Sulphur here and there. I have 3 Monarch chrysalises left and then I will call an absolute end to the 2011 butterfly season. I sure hope next year is better.

Susan