Attributes of Hemiargus ceraunus
Ceraunus Blue
Hemiargus ceraunus (Fabricius, 1793)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside of male light blue with a darker narrow border; female dark brown, often with wing bases blue. Underside gray; both wings with a row of dark postmedian dashes. Florida butterflies have one submarginal eyespot on hindwing; Southwest butterflies have two.
Wing Span: 3/4 - 1 1/8 inches (2 - 3 cm).
Life History: Males patrol during warm hours of the day for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on flower buds or leaves of host plant; caterpillars feed on flowers and seedpods.
Flight: Throughout the year in Texas and south Florida, late summer in other parts of its range.
Caterpillar Hosts: A variety of woody legumes including partridge pea (Cassia brachiata), mesquite (Prosopis species), and rosary pea (Abrus precatorius).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open woodland, desert scrub, dunes, pastures, road edges, and vacant lots.
Range: U. S. Southwest, South Texas, Florida and the Keys south through the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America to South America. Strays to North Carolina, Missouri, Kansas, and Nevada.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Hemiargus ceraunus
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
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The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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January 01, 2013 | LLJohnson | Dominican Republic | April 16, 2013 | Details |
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December 01, 2012 | jrfleullan | Macon County, Georgia, United States | April 15, 2013 | Details |
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January 11, 2013 | jrfleullan | Glynn County, Georgia, United States | April 15, 2013 | Details |
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November 17, 2012 | jeffmci9 | Texas, Travis County, United States | March 20, 2013 | Details |
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February 08, 2013 | suedavies28 | Orange County, Florida, United States | March 09, 2013 | Details |
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September 16, 2012 | wntrhawk | Wakulla County, Florida, United States | February 11, 2013 | Details |
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October 03, 2010 | Doug Taron | Veracruz-Llave, Mexico | January 29, 2013 | Details |
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December 02, 2012 | Gary L. Spicer | Ellis County, Texas, United States | January 04, 2013 | Details |
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January 23, 2012 | JeanEvoy | De Soto County, Florida, United States | January 02, 2013 | Details |
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November 18, 2012 | swittwa | Sarasota County, Florida, United States | January 02, 2013 | Details |
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November 18, 2012 | swittwa | Sarasota County, Florida, United States | January 02, 2013 | Details |
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November 07, 2012 | jgiroux | Texas, Travis County, United States | December 27, 2012 | Details |
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October 10, 2012 | Amateur Entomologist | San Luis Obispo County, California, United States | December 09, 2012 | Details |
| July 26, 1983 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | White Pine County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 11, 1983 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Nye County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 04, 1992 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 04, 1992 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Nye County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 04, 1992 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Nye County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| October 10, 1994 | legacy.reporter (Ray Stanford) | Greenlee County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| July 13, 1996 | legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 20, 1996 | legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 29, 2007 | legacy.reporter (Jim Brock) | Pima County, Arizona, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 04, 1977 | legacy.reporter (C. S. Lawson) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| December 12, 1977 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 13, 1977 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| November 12, 1977 | legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) | Clark County, Nevada, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
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September 03, 2012 | Tod Lanier | Dougherty County, Georgia, United States | November 28, 2012 | Details |
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October 16, 2012 | Rose A. Payne | Monroe County, Georgia, United States | November 27, 2012 | Details |
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September 27, 2012 | jrfleullan | Jones County, Georgia, United States | November 27, 2012 | Details |
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September 30, 2012 | jrfleullan | Georgia, Twiggs County, United States | November 27, 2012 | Details |
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November 25, 2012 | whbauer | Bexar County, Texas, United States | November 25, 2012 | Details |
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September 22, 2010 | jrfleullan | Puerto Rico | November 21, 2012 | Details |
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November 17, 2012 | whbauer | Bexar County, Texas, United States | November 19, 2012 | Details |
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November 17, 2012 | whbauer | Bexar County, Texas, United States | November 19, 2012 | Details |
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September 04, 2011 | JimConrad | Quintana Roo, Mexico | November 17, 2012 | Details |
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September 23, 2012 | lefevers | Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States | November 14, 2012 | Details |
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October 01, 2012 | Jeff Trahan | Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States | November 14, 2012 | Details |
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October 04, 2012 | Jeff Trahan | Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States | November 14, 2012 | Details |
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October 07, 2012 | rseidler | De Soto Parish, Louisiana, United States | November 14, 2012 | Details |
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October 06, 2012 | Jeff Trahan | Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States | November 14, 2012 | Details |
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November 07, 2012 | Jeff Trahan | Cameron Parish, Louisiana, United States | November 14, 2012 | Details |
| October 05, 2012 | lorispencer (Charles Mills) | Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States | November 03, 2012 | Details | |
| October 05, 2012 | lorispencer | Little River County, Arkansas, United States | November 03, 2012 | Details | |
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September 25, 2012 | Rose A. Payne | Jones County, Georgia, United States | November 01, 2012 | Details |
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September 25, 2012 | Rose A. Payne | Jasper County, Georgia, United States | November 01, 2012 | Details |
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September 27, 2012 | Roy Brown | Colquitt County, Georgia, United States | November 01, 2012 | Details |
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May 25, 2009 | carlakish | Pima County, Arizona, United States | October 31, 2012 | Details |
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September 23, 2012 | Rose A. Payne | Georgia, Twiggs County, United States | October 30, 2012 | Details |
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September 24, 2012 | Rose A. Payne | Bibb County, Georgia, United States | October 30, 2012 | Details |
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September 23, 2012 | Lois Stacey | Burke County, Georgia, United States | October 29, 2012 | Details |
