Lycaenidae

This group of butterflies get their common names from their wings. Some groups have shiny blue on their wings, others are the color of copper. Some have very thin little "tails" on their wings that are called hairstreaks. Many are not so colorful, and have gray or brown wings with spots of black, white, or orange. They are usually small butterflies, with wingspans of 25 mm or less. Some species have males with reduced front legs like the Brushfoot family, but females always have all 6 legs for walking and standing.

Caterpillars in this family have small heads and legs, and sometimes look like slugs covered with tiny hairs. Most are green or brown, but a few are yellowish or reddish. Some can pull in their heads completely, like a slug.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: female larger; male more colorful

Texture:

ridged

Description of egg morphology:

From Scoble, 1992: "The diameter of the egg usually exceeds that of its height, or the egg may be almost spherical. Often, lycaenid eggs are pitted or bear projections. In eggs of most species parts of the highly porous chorion is perforated by numerous pores enable it to act as a plastron when eggs are submerged in rain water (Downey and Allyn, 1981)"

Larval abdomen description:

From Scoble 1992: "The larva (Downey in Stehr, 1987) is usually onisciform, resembling the shape of a woodlouse." "The abdomen often bears a dorsal gland on segment A7, a pair of eversible organs on segment A8, and minute, round "pore cupolas' associated particularly with the dorsal gland and the eversible organs."

Abdominal glands:

absent

Crochets:

uniserial

Crochet arrangement description:

From Scoble 1992: Crochets are usually "tri- to multiordinal, and arranged in an interrupted mesoseries."

Pupa description:

From Scoble, 1992: "The pupal is often girdled. Where not girdled, it may be positioned at an angle to the substrate or be suspended with the head downwards."