Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Bernardino Dotted-Blue
Euphilotes bernardino (Barnes & McDunnough, 1916)


Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Male blue with narrow black outer margin, no orange band.. Upperside of female brown with orange submarginal band on hindwing. Underside off-white with distinct black spots and an orange band on hindwing.
Wing Span: 11/16 - 13/16 inches (1.7 - 2.1 cm).
Life History: Males patrol all day near host plants to find receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on host plant flowers; caterpillars eat flowers and fruits, and are protected by ants. Chrysalids hibernate in sand or leaf litter.
Flight: One flight; February to late August , timing depends of location and host.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various wild buckwheats (Eriogonum species)
Adult Food: Flower nectar especially that from Eriogonum species.
Habitat: Varies by subspecies; includes desert scrub and chaparral.
Range: Southern California south to northern Baja California, southern Nevada and western Arizona.
Conservation: Main populations in southern California coastal sage-scrub are being lost to development and loss of habitat integrity. Interior populations elsewhere may be threatened by invasive cheatgrass. The El Segundo Blue (Euphilotes bernardino allyni) is listed as an Endangered species because almost 99 percent of its sand dune habitat between Los Angeles and San Diego has been destroyed or degraded.
NCGR: G3, G4 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range OR Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Subspecies minuta Austin of Nevada is rank T1.
Management Needs: Maintain habitat together with host plants of all known populations.
Comments: NULL
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