Moss' Elfin
Callophrys mossii (Hy. Edwards, 1881)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Theclinae
Identification: Upperside of male grayish brown with a tan patch on hindwing inner margin; female light brown to tan with dark borders. Underside coppery brown to purplish brown; inner half of hindwing darker than light outer half.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.8 cm).
Life History: In California, males perch on shrubs or at tops of cliffs to watch for females; in Colorado they perch in gulches. Eggs are laid singly on the underside of host plant leaves. Young caterpillars feed on leaves; older ones on flowers and fruits. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from March-June.
Caterpillar Hosts: Stonecrop (Sedum, Sedella, Dudleya, and Parvisedum) species in the Crassulaceae family.
Adult Food: Not reported.
Habitat: Rocky outcrops, woody canyons, cliffs.
Range: Patchy, isolated populations from British Columbia south to southern California, east to Wyoming and Colorado.
Conservation: The San Bruno Elfin (Callophrys mossii bayensis) is listed as Endangered by the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This subspecies is limited to the San Bruno Mountains in San Mateo County, California and a few nearby sites. The San Bruno Elfin has The Nature Conservancy Rank of T1 - Critically imperiled because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences, or very few remaining individuals), or because of some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable to extinction. (Critically endangered throughout its range).
NCGR:
Management Needs: Protect habitat of the San Bruno Elfin and other limited populations from development and encroachment by non-native plants.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 216 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 20, 2018
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 19, 2021
Observation date: Apr 23, 2019
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 31, 2021
Observation date: May 09, 2019
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 31, 2021
Observation date: Jul 03, 2018
Submitted by: MTmariposa
Region: Missoula County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 09, 2021
Observation date: May 16, 2021
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 16, 2021
Observation date: May 14, 2021
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 17, 2021
Observation date: Apr 28, 2021
Submitted by: PDunwiddie
Region: San Juan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 09, 2021
Observation date: Apr 01, 2021
Submitted by: sarabseth
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 02, 2021
Observation date: Mar 23, 2021
Submitted by: sarabseth
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 02, 2021
Observation date: Apr 27, 2019
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 01, 2021
Observation date: May 03, 2020
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jun 07, 2020
Observation date: Mar 21, 2020
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 22, 2020
Observation date: Mar 12, 2020
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 13, 2020
Observation date: Apr 07, 2019
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Sep 19, 2019
Observation date: Apr 28, 2019
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 24, 2019
Observation date: Jun 04, 2019
Submitted by: regina rochefort
Region: Skagit County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jun 05, 2019
Observation date: May 30, 2019
Submitted by: MaryAnn Friedman
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jun 01, 2019
Observation date: May 13, 2019
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Natrona County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 15, 2019
Observation date: Apr 27, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Apr 28, 2017
Submitted by: Claude Rioux
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Jun 06, 2017
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
Observation date: Apr 03, 2017
Submitted by: icosahedron
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 08, 2017
Observation date: May 12, 2016
Submitted by: empidonaxdvg
Region: Albany County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 13, 2016
Observation date: Apr 06, 2016
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Spokane County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Apr 12, 2016
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