Celastrina serotina

Celastrina serotina, the cherry gall azure, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found across North America as far north as the treeline. Its flight time is between mid-May and mid-June in eastern Ontario after the spring azure and before the summer azure.[2] The larva has been reported to feed on galls of eriophyid mites (e. g. Eriophyes cerasicrumena) and apparently also on the mites themselves, making them one of the rare species of carnivorous Lepidoptera.[3]

Cherry gall azure
Ottawa, Ontario
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Celastrina
Species:
C. serotina
Binomial name
Celastrina serotina
(Pavulaan and Wright, 2005)[1]

Similar species
  • Spring azure (C. ladon)
  • Summer azure (C. neglecta)
  • Holly azure (C. idella)
  • Lucia azure (C. lucia)


References
  1. Pavulaan, H. and D. M. Wright. (2005). Celastrina serotina (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae): A new butterfly species from the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The Taxonomic Report. Vol. 6(6):1-18.
  2. Cherry Gall Azure, Butterflies of Canada.
  3. Celastrina serotina (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae): a New Butterfly Species from the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada.
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