Cassius Blue
Leptotes cassius (Cramer, 1775)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Upperside of males pale blue; females with white patches. Underside tan with broken pale lines; forewing inner margin has "blank" areas with no spots.
Wing Span: 3/4 - 1 3/8 inches (2 - 3.5 cm).
Life History: Eggs are laid singly on flower buds of the host plant; caterpillars eat flowers and seedpods. Predation and parasitism may be discouraged by ants, which tend the caterpillars and feed on their sugary secretions.
Flight: All through the year in southern Florida and South Texas. Number of broods has not been determined.
Caterpillar Hosts: Ornamental leadwort (Plumbago capensis), rattlebox (Crotalaria incana), hairy milk pea (Galactia volubilis), and lima bean (Phaseolus limensis). Larva has been reared on the crenulate lead plant, Amorpha crenulata.
Adult Food: Nectar from shepherd's needle, lippia, and many other flowers.
Habitat: Subtropical thorn scrub, forest edges, weedy fields, residential areas.
Range: Florida and the Keys; Texas south through the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America to South America. Strays to New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, and South Carolina.
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: Suzanne Koptur (kopturs@fiu.edu) e-mailed to say that her graduate student Lauren Linares reared a caterpillar on the crenulate lead plant. The adult was determined by Dr. William Kern Jr. of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 290 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 12, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 14, 2019
Observation date: Oct 10, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 13, 2019
Observation date: Oct 10, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 13, 2019
Observation date: Oct 06, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 06, 2019
Observation date: Sep 28, 2019
Submitted by: atlnature
Region: DeKalb County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 06, 2019
Observation date: Oct 04, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 04, 2019
Observation date: Oct 04, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 04, 2019
Observation date: Sep 29, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 30, 2019
Observation date: Sep 28, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 28, 2019
Observation date: Sep 26, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Charlotte County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 26, 2019
Observation date: Sep 06, 2019
Submitted by: Kimberly Mrozinski
Region: Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Jun 20, 2019
Submitted by: Markus M
Region: Jalisco, Mexico
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Sep 05, 2019
Observation date: Aug 08, 2019
Submitted by: cfhayes
Region: Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 30, 2019
Observation date: Aug 19, 2019
Submitted by: scvirginia
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 27, 2019
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: wlu
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Feb 13, 2019
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 05, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 03, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: mamacasne
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 31, 2019
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: Argyle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
Observation date: Jul 18, 2019
Submitted by: therapypetz
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 18, 2019
Observation date: Jul 10, 2019
Submitted by: mellielong
Region: Hillsborough County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 10, 2019
Observation date: Jul 09, 2019
Submitted by: Jrcooper115
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 10, 2019
Observation date: May 23, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 20, 2019
Observation date: Jun 16, 2019
Submitted by: Argyle
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 19, 2019
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