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Plebejus optilete Tutt, 1909
Cranberry Blue
Family: Lycaenidae (Gossamer Wings)
Species account authors: Crispin Guppy and Jon Shepard.
Extracted from Butterflies of British Columbia.
Introduction to the Lepidoptera of BC
Introduction to the Butterflies of BC
The Families of Lepidoptera of BC

Photograph

© Norbert Kondla     (Photo ID #74036)

Map

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Distribution of Plebejus optilete in British Columbia.
(Click on the map to view a larger version.)
Source: Butterflies of British Columbia by Crispin Guppy and Jon Shepard © Royal BC Museum

Species Information


Adult

The dorsal wings of the Cranberry Blue male are a dark violet blue. The female upperside ground colour is brown, with a strong overlay of blue scales that can mask the brown. In this case, the submarginal area is a washed-out blue. The underside of the wings of both sexes is grey with the typical black spots. There is one orange spot in the submargin of the hindwing.

Immature Stages

Undescribed for North America. Henriksen and Kreutzer (1982) described the species in Scandinavia. The egg is white. The mature larva is green with a darker green dorsal stripe. There are pale yellow, violet-bordered lateral lines, and the body is covered with short, reddish hairs. The pupa is pale green with reddish hairs.

Subspecies

BC populations are the eastern Beringian subspecies, V.o. yukona (Holland, 1900) (TL: between Mission and Forty-mile Creeks, AK).

Genus Description


The name Vacciniina is derived from the larval foodplant, Vaccinium, which includes bog cranberry and blueberry. Since this is a monotypic genus, it does not require a common name other than that of the one species. The labides and falces of the male genitalia are subequal in length. The labides is not cone-shaped. The falces is blunt at the tip.

The genus Vacciniina is Holarctic, with one species.

Biology


The Cranberry Blue is seen flying from early July to mid-August. Nothing is known of its biology in North America, but the Scandinavian subspecies is described by Henriksen and Kreutzer (1982). The eggs are laid on the larval foodplant, Vaccinium uliginosum, and other Ericaceae. Eggs hatch within the week and larvae partially develop before hibernating. The larvae complete development the following spring. The adult emerges after a short pupal period.

Habitat


The Cranberry Blue is known only from extreme northern BC, but should be found in areas where the foodplant, Vaccinium, occurs at or near timberline and in bogs at lower elevations.

Distribution

Distribution

The Cranberry Blue ranges from northern Scandinavia east through polar Russia to AK, YT, southwestern NT, and northern BC to MB.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)		COSEWIC
NativeS3S4BlueNot Listed



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