Marine Blue
Leptotes marina (Reakirt, 1868)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside blue; male with purple tinge, female with no white. Underside of forewing with unbroken pale brown bands from costa to inner margin.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males patrol to find females. Eggs are laid singly on flower buds of the host plant; caterpillars eat flowers and seedpods.
Flight: April-September in the north, all through the year in South Texas and southern California.
Caterpillar Hosts: Leadwort (Plumbago) and many legumes including alfalfa (Medicago sativa), milkvetch (Astragalus), and mesquite (Prosopis).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Subtropical and southwestern open areas including mesquite scrub, city gardens, desert, alfalfa fields, and waste areas.
Range: Southern California east through the Southwest, Mexico and Baja California to Guatemala. Wanders and temporarily colonizes north to Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, and Louisiana.
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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 869 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 23, 2016
Submitted by: mouser
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 04, 2020
Observation date: Jun 01, 2020
Submitted by: jerelreeves
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 02, 2020
Observation date: May 24, 2020
Submitted by: opiliones
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 29, 2020
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 24, 2020
Observation date: May 13, 2020
Submitted by: vmaglio
Region: Pinal County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: May 19, 2020
Observation date: Apr 27, 2020
Submitted by: bradnlabs
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 29, 2020
Observation date: Mar 03, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Mar 11, 2020
Observation date: Feb 29, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Mar 11, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2019
Submitted by: mhumphri
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Feb 19, 2020
Observation date: May 13, 2019
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Feb 07, 2020
Observation date: Jul 31, 1999
Submitted by: Jay Cossey
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 16, 2020
Observation date: Oct 07, 2019
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jan 12, 2020
Observation date: Sep 22, 2019
Submitted by: MaryAnn Friedman
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Oct 19, 2019
Observation date: Oct 12, 2019
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 13, 2019
Observation date: Oct 10, 2019
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 12, 2019
Observation date: Sep 04, 2019
Submitted by: Joey Bom
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 05, 2019
Observation date: Sep 10, 2019
Submitted by: Joey Bom
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 03, 2019
Observation date: Sep 04, 2019
Submitted by: PONYRCR
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 19, 2019
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: pnesterenko
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Sep 17, 2019
Observation date: Jul 18, 2019
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 28, 2019
Submitted by: dolores.gladtid...
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Aug 29, 2019
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Washoe County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Patricia12
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 05, 2019
Observation date: Dec 24, 2018
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 05, 2019
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