Pacific Dotted-Blue
Euphilotes enoptes (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside of male is lilac blue with dark borders; female is brown usually with an orange patch on margin of hindwing. Underside of both sexes is off-white with black spots. Those of forewing larger and more squarish than those of hindwing. Orange band on hindwing usually broken into separate spots.
Wing Span: 3/4 - 7/8 inches (1.8 - 2.3 cm).
Life History: Dotted-Blues usually stay near their host plants. Males patrol around the host plants all day to find females. Eggs are laid singly on flowers or buds; caterpillars eat flowers and fruits and are tended by ants. Chrysalids hibernate in leaf litter.
Flight: One flight from mid-May to October depending on host and location.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various Eriogonum species including Nude Buckwheat, Wright\'s Buckwheat, Inflated Buckwheat, and others.
Adult Food: Flower nectar, especially from Eriogonum.
Habitat: Sun-exposed rocky or sandy flats or slopes in foothills, mountains, desert, and along coast.
Range: Scattered distribution throughout the western United States from Washington south through Pacific Coast states to northern Baja California. Also Nevada and northwest Arizona.
Conservation: Smith\'s dotted-blue, Euphilotes enoptes smithi, is endangered because its California coastal habitat is being damaged by increased human activity including housing developments, recreation, and sand mining. Its status in complicated because of the recent description of subspecies arenacola Emmel, Emmel, and Pratt for part of its distribution. Other subspecies from more interior locations may be threatened by invasion of exotic cheatgrass and the eventual fires that often result from such invasion.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Smith\'s dotted-blue has The Nature Conservancy rank of T1,T2 - Imperiled because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences), or because of other factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range. (Endangered throughout its range). Other recently described subspecies have ranks of T1.
Management Needs: Conserve habitats for Smith\'s blue and maintain host plant populations. Determine conservation status of other subspecies.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 48 of 457 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 21, 2021
Submitted by: ajparks
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 24, 2021
Observation date: Jun 08, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 19, 2021
Observation date: Aug 02, 2021
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 10, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 27, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2021
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 27, 2021
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 27, 2021
Observation date: Jun 15, 2021
Submitted by: asabspade
Region: Glenn County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 29, 2021
Submitted by: sarabseth
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 05, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2021
Submitted by: guy_incognito
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 13, 2021
Observation date: May 28, 2021
Submitted by: jhintermeister
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 05, 2021
Observation date: Jun 01, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 04, 2021
Observation date: Jul 10, 2019
Submitted by: backabush
Region: Jefferson County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Mar 03, 2021
Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: asabspade
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 15, 2020
Observation date: Oct 14, 2020
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 18, 2020
Observation date: Aug 23, 2020
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 29, 2020
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Modoc County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 01, 2020
Observation date: Jul 05, 2020
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 06, 2020
Observation date: Jun 04, 2020
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 04, 2020
Observation date: Jun 01, 2020
Submitted by: sarabseth
Region: Marin County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 02, 2020
Observation date: Jun 01, 2020
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 02, 2020
Observation date: Feb 29, 2020
Submitted by: cklindsey
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 03, 2020
Observation date: Jun 17, 2019
Submitted by: icosahedron
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 25, 2019
Observation date: Sep 07, 2019
Submitted by: falco1
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 04, 2019
Observation date: Sep 07, 2019
Submitted by: falco1
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 04, 2019
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