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 386 verified sightings
Observation date: Jan 06, 2023
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 08, 2023
Observation date: Jan 06, 2023
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 08, 2023
Observation date: Jul 24, 2022
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 02, 2023
Observation date: Oct 06, 2019
Submitted by: David F Smith
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 12, 2022
Observation date: Dec 02, 2022
Submitted by: John Gibbons
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 05, 2022
Observation date: Dec 02, 2022
Submitted by: emmalarivee
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 02, 2022
Observation date: Nov 26, 2022
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 26, 2022
Observation date: Nov 26, 2022
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 26, 2022
Observation date: Nov 16, 2022
Submitted by: John Gibbons
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 20, 2022
Observation date: May 14, 2015
Submitted by: XplorMor Intern...
Region: Matanzas, Cuba
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 16, 2022
Observation date: Feb 25, 2017
Submitted by: devjohnstone
Region: Villa Clara, Cuba
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 16, 2022
Observation date: Jun 08, 2017
Submitted by: David Redhead
Region: Quintana Roo, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Feb 18, 2016
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Yucatan, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Feb 18, 2016
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Yucatan, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Sep 14, 2022
Submitted by: Ryan84
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 15, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Apr 14, 2022
Submitted by: Godey1861
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 15, 2022
Observation date: Mar 10, 2018
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Heredia, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
Observation date: May 28, 2022
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 02, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: Birdwatcher5
Region: Volusia County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 03, 2022
Observation date: Jan 13, 2022
Submitted by: Joceb2005
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 08, 2022
Observation date: Oct 13, 2021
Submitted by: henryr10
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 01, 2022
Observation date: Feb 11, 2022
Submitted by: Joceb2005
Region: Collier County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 26, 2022
Observation date: Jun 04, 2016
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 10, 2021
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