Giant Water Bug

Lethocerus sp.

Today we'll be talking about an entire taxonomic family-- Belostomitidae. Insects within this group are more commonly referred to as Giant Water Bugs. There are around 160 different species, organized into nine different genera.

The "Giant" name is certainly apt, as some members (especially those in the genus Lethocerus) can reach lengths of several inches. Even the smallest group members are a few centimeters in length.

Giant Water Bugs can be found all over the world, and are most concentrated in the Americas and in South Asia and Australia. All of the insects, regardless of continent, live in ponds and other shallow bodies of water. They spend most of their time in the water, but they must surface for air, as they do require it to breathe. Respiration takes place thanks to two appendages that extend from the abdomen. Speaking of abdomens, the eggs of two of the genera, Abedus and Belostoma, are deposited on the backs of the males, who carry them around for a week or two until they hatch!

Giant Water Bugs are amazingly little predators. They ambush hunt other bugs, small crustaceans, and even fish, birds, and amphibians! They strike, biting down with their powerful mandible and injecting a digestive saliva that liquefies the insides of their prey. Once that process has taken place, the Water Bugs can slurp up their meals. These bites can be very, very painful to humans, but are not dangerous overall.

Final fun fact of the day-- Giant Water Bugs are considered a culinary delicacy in some parts of the world. They are eaten both raw and prepared!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Worldwide
Size : Length up to 12cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Hemiptera
Family : Belostomatidae

Ghost Slug

Selonochlamys ysbryda

The Ghost Slug is a relatively new species to science, having only been discovered in 2006. Similar slugs had been previously found in Turkey and Georgia, so the discovery of this little guy in Wales was quite interesting! It's species name, S. ysbryda, means "ghost" in Welsh.

Ghost Slugs are interesting because unlike most other slugs, they are carnivores. These guys feed off worms, cutting them up with their teeth and sucking them down. They hunt at night and live underground, sporting pale white skin and no external eyes.

Ghost Slugs may have arrived in Wales via potted plants, as they have only been found in gardens and similar areas. It is still unknown if they are actually an alien species. Biologists are collecting information from residents to help them learn more about Ghost Slugs. An identification guide can even be found on their website.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Europe

Size : Length 2.5in (6.5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda -- Superfamily : Parmacelloidea
Family : Trigonochlamydidae -- Genus : Selenochlamys -- Species : S. ysbryda

Tree Cricket

Tree Cricket

Today we'll be learning about a whole bunch of different animals-- the members of the Subfamily Oecanthinae. More commonly referred to as "Tree Crickets," these insects can be found on every single continent, except for Antarctica.

Tree Crickets have two pairs of wings, and powerful hind legs for jumping. Their coloration depends on the species and habitat, but they are always well camouflaged. Some come in green shades, while others are more brown, to match either the shrubs, bushes, trees, or grasses that they live in.

These Crickets, as with many other insects, make their calls by rubbing their wing tips together. Only males can make these loud calls, female are unable.

One really interesting feature of the Tree Cricket is that they practice something called "Courtship Feeding." After mating, the male produces a fluid that is taken by the female. It is full of nutrients and helps the female to successfully reproduce. She will lay the eggs in small holes drilled into tree bark. And though they are deposited in the fall, they will not hatch until spring. The young Crickets will struggle to get out of their egg cases, and will feed on tiny insects like aphids in order to grow. Depending on the species, it can take between 5 and 12 molts for them to reach adulthood.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Every Continent but Antarctica

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Orthoptera
Family : Gryllidae -- Subfamily : Oecanthinae

Lion's Mane Jellyfish

Cyanea capillata

Way back in 1870, a Lion's Mane Jellyfish washed ashore in Massachusetts Bay. Jellyfish wash up all the time, but this one was special... this one has a bell that was 7'6" in diameter and tentacles that were nearly 120 ft long! That means that the Lion's Mane Jellyfish might just be the longest animal alive!

The Lion's Mane Jellyfish doesn't always grow that large. In fact, most of the time their bell is only around a few feet wide, and those that live in the warmer waters max out around a foot and a half. Basically, the colder the water the larger they grow! The species is rarely found at latitudes lower than 42 degrees, and are nonexistent in the Southern Hemisphere.

All Lion's Manes, regardless of size, have tentacles that are clustered into eight segments. There are at least 65 tentacles per segment, though there can be as many as 150, and these tentacles can grow over 100ft long!

If you touch the tentacle of a Lion's Mane Jellyfish, you will probably get stung.. which results in blistering, irritation, and muscle cramps. Stings are not thought to be fatal to humans.

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IUCN Status : Not Evaluated
Location : High latitude oceans
Size : Bell Diameter up to 8.2ft (2.5m)

Classification : Phylum : Cnidaria -- Class : Scyphozoa -- Order : Semaeostomeae
Family : Cyaneidae -- Genus : Cyanea -- Species : C. capillata

Giant African Snail

Achatina fulica

Meet a member of the invasive species club-- the Giant Afican Snail is considered one of the top 100 worst Invasive Species on the planet. Ant not only are they on the top 100 list, they actually sit at #2!

African Giant Snails are naturally found in East Africa, but they have spread to warm locations around the world in the last few decades. They are large snails (hence the name), sporting shells that can grow to nearly 8in in length. They reach maturity after about 6 months, and can live as long as ten years. During that time they never really stop growing.

They are a hermaphroditic species, possessing both male and female reproductive organs. They do not reproduce asexually-- they need another snail. But their interesting reproductive system makes it easier to multiply, since they do not need to track down a member of the opposite sex.

They feed on over 500 different species of plant, so you can see why they are considered to be such a nuisance! However, the African Giant Snail isn't just considered troublesome because it eats native plants. They also carry parasites that can cause Meningitis in humans, as well as other diseases that can severely damage the crops that they don't consume. In order to keep the invasive Snails in check, quarantines, pesticides, and even flame throwers have been used.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : East Africa
Size : Length around 8in (22cm)

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda -- Family: Achatinidae
Genus : Achatina -- Species : A. fulica

Six-spot Burnet Moth

Zygaena filipendulae

Today's animal is a small, colorful insect with a name that describes it pretty much to the tee. The six-spot Burnet Moth does in fact have six spots on each wing... though sometimes they get a bit merged together, which can result in some spot-count confusion.

Six-spot Burnets live throughout Europe and are incredibly common on the continent. There are over 20 different subspecies! Most of the subspecies have dark bodies with wings of a metallic sheen. The wing spots are red, which warns predators that these Moths are poisonous! Sometimes the spots are yellow or brown, but only rarely.

Six-spot Burnets are active during the day, when they live in colonies and feed on the nectar of large flowers. They prefer sunny days, and fly from June to August. The Moths only reproduce once, and the caterpillars overwinter before pupating and becoming Moths in June. (Sometimes they will even overwinter twice!) Caterpillars are very plump and greenish-yellow, with black spots.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe
Size : Wingspan up to 1.6in (4cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Zygaenidae -- Genus : Zygaena -- Species : Z. filipendulae

Red Flour Beetle

Tribolium castaneum

Today's animal is quite the pest; they are destructive as both larvae and adults, and though they originated in the Indo-Australian tropical regions, they can be found causing damage all around the world!

One little interesting fact is that the Red Flour Beetle is very similar in size, appearance, and behavior to the Confused Flour Beetle from Africa. The latter actually got its name because the two species were so alike!

Despite the name, Red Flour Beetles can be found in more than just flour. They hang out in cereals, nuts, seeds, and all sorts of other dried food products. They don't cause structural damage, and they don't have stingers that harm people, but they can have a huge negative impact on stored food. The Beetles even lay their eggs in food, the larvae eat the food, and the adults can live as long as 3 years.

Red Flour Beetles are very small, and very hardy. This makes it difficult to truly get rid of them. You have to completely eradicate all infested materials, check all possible cracks and crevasses, and essentially set up a sealed, protected food storage system. Pesticides and bleaches don't do a whole lot; a thorough disposal of materials is your best bet.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Worldwide
Size : Body Length less than 1cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Coleoptera
Family : Tenebrionidae -- Genus : Tribolium -- Species : T. castaneum

Meganeura

Way back, 300 million years back, there was a lot more Oxygen in the air than there is now. The reason for this is that plants essentially exploded on to the scene, taking in large amounts of Carbon Dioxide and expelling huge quantities of Oxygen in return. But while plants were covering the earth, animals, especially large Oxygen sucking land animals, just weren't there yet. This led to higher Oxygen percentages (around 32%, as compared to today's 21%).

Model of Meganeura

And what happens when you have higher Oxygen percentages? Larger bugs! Insects have a tracheal breathing system, which means that they take in all of their air through tracheae in their skin. This further means they can only grow as large as they amount of Oxygen they can take in. More Oxygen = larger sizes.

Meganeura was an example of one of the giants that popped up during this time. It was an absolutely gigantic dragonfly, with a wingspan of over 2.5ft! In comparison, the largest dragonfly today measures in at only 7.5in! Meganeura monyi, one of three uncovered species, is the largest flying insect species ever found.

Like modern Dragonflies, Meganeura was a predator. It fed on other insects and arthropods, as well as small amphibious vertebrates. Keep in mind though that Meganeura is only the largest flying arthropod. Other massive invertebrates crawled about during time (I'm looking at you Arthropleura), which means that this huge critter may have been hunting things even larger than itself! 

The entire Order that Meganeura belonged to is now extinct, due to the climate and evolutionary changes that led to a decrease in atmospheric Oxygen. Fossilized specimens have been found in England and France.

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Status : Extinct since the Carboniferous Period, around 300 million years ago

Location : Europe

Size : Wingspan up to 2.5ft (75cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : †Meganisoptera
Family : †Meganeuridae -- Genus : †Meganeura

Common Earwig

Forficula auricularia

The Common Earwig is also called the European Earwig, but that name is a little bit misleading. Though they did orginate in Europe and Northern Africa, they can now be found all over North America as well, thanks (or not thanks?) to introduction during the 20th century.

You can identify Common earwigs by their skinny bodies and large forceps on the abdomen (they are slightly larger in males). They use them to mate, to feed, and for self defense!

The Earwig lives in cool, moist, dark places, and is most active during the night time. Though they look a bit frightening, they are actually plant eaters a lot of the time. They feed on different leaves, flowers, lichens, and algae, though they do sometimes snack on insects and insect eggs.

Mother Earwigs are pretty good parents. She lays her eggs before it gets cold, and stays with them over the winter, burrowing just slightly underground. She even cleans them to keep them free from fungal growth. In the spring she moves them into a single layer to make hatching easier, and then she will actually guard over them until they reach maturity!

Common earwigs are considered pests in some areas, because they will feed on crops.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Native to Europe
Size : Length up to 15mm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Dermaptera
Family : Forficulidae -- Genus : Forficula -- Species : F. auricularia

Helicoplacus

Helicoplacus

Today's animal might just be the oldest creature I've ever talked about. It lived in the early Cambrian period around 525 million years ago!

Helicoplacus is the genus name for two species of absolutely ancient Echinoderm. They are the earliest Echinoderm fossils that have ever been studied, and the specimens are pretty well preserved for being half a billion years old!

Helicoplacus species had skinny pine-cone shaped bodies that were vertically oriented and attached to the sea floor. They had very primitive respiratory systems, and there is dispute about where the mouth actually was. It is believed that the grooves that circled the bodies actually helped move food into a mouth, wherever it was placed.

Members of the genus lived for around 15 million years before going extinct.

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Status : Extinct for over 500 million years
Location : Fossils found in North America
Size : Length up to 2.8in (7cm)

Classification : Phylum : Echinodermata -- Class : †Helicoplacoidea -- Genus : Helicoplacus

Berghia coerulescens

Berghia coerulescens

I always love writing about Nudibranchs. They are such colorful little Gastropods! Today's Nudibranch is Berghia coerulescens, a species with that can be found in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. (I was unable to find any common name for the species, but if anyone knows of one, let me know!)

B. coerulescens are quite small, typically between 4 and 7cm. You can identify them by all the weird blue and yellow fringes that grow out from their bodies. These growths are called Cerata, and they aide in respiration and defense. This species consumes Anemones (as do most members of their family). Anemone venom passes through the Nudibranch and actually collects at the tip of the Cerata, making the Nudibranch venomous as well!

Berghia coerulescens is a common species in the temperate waters of its range. They are also sometimes kept in captivity, though they have a relatively short life expectancy (only a few months).

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean 
Size : Body Length up to 2.5in (7cm)
Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Gastropoda -- Superfamily : Aeolidioidea

Family : Aeolidiidae -- Genus : Berghia -- Species : B. coerulescens

German Cockroach

Blattella germanica

If you saw a German Cockroach, you may not even realize it's a Cockroach! These small, light brown insects measure only about half an inch in length, which is a bit of a difference when you compare them to the American Cockraoches (about 1.3in) or the massive Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches which get as big as 4 inches!

Despite the name, German Cockroaches are actually from Africa, and are close relatives to the Asian Cockroach. German Cockroaches can survive in colder climates, which has allowed them to spread all around the world and become widespread pests in many areas. Luckily, though they have wings, these roaches cannot actually fly.

German Cockroaches go through three life phases- egg, nymph, adult- and it takes about 2 months for the roaches to hatch and make it to their adult phase. They have a very high reproductive rate, which is one of the reasons that they can be very difficult to eradicate. In just one year a single female can produce 10,000 descendants!

German Cockroaches can appear in both dirty and clean areas, it just depends on what is available for them to eat. They are omnivores that will consume just about anything, including the glue on canned food wrappers! There are numerous ways to get rid of the roaches, including trapping, baiting, and chemical spraying.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Worldwide

Size : Length up to .5in (1.3cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Blattodea
Family : Blattellidae -- Genus : Blattella -- Species : B. germanica

Brittlestar

Brittlestar

Invertebrates can be difficult to write about. There are literally hundreds of thousands of species! To compare, there are only 50,000 members in the Chordata phylum, but almost 1,000,000 Arthropods! And that doesn't include the Nematodes, Molluscs, Annelids, and the 30-somethings other Invertebrate phyla out there!

Unfortunately, even though there are way, way more invertebrates, it can be incredibly difficult to find exact information about a single species. To be fair, some are quite prolific- like the American Lobster, Black Widow, and Common Octopus. But other times it is difficult to say much about an entire family, much less a specific genus or species.

Such is the case today with the Brittlestar. There are close to 2,000 species within the Ophiurida order, and they can be found in oceans worldwide. Not only is their geographic range huge, but they also live in many different ocean environments, from shallow coasts to deep sea floors!

Brittlestars are named for their starfish-like bodies and long, stringy arms that break away easily when they are under attack. Don't worry, the arms grow back! They are also very fast movers, and tend to come in camouflaging colors. These are excellent traits to have when you have literally dozens, if not hundreds of predators.

Brittlestars, and many other invertebrates, are so interesting because they are so very different anatomically from more familiar critters. They don't have brains! Their mouth and anus are the same exact orifice! They sense light and smells through their feet! Some of them are even bioluminescent! Most species feed on floating debris that they grab using their arms and transport to their central organs, but some also make use their tooth-ringed mouth/anuses to feed on small animals.

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Location : Worldwide
Size : Typical body diameter around 1in (2.5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Echinodermata -- Class : Ophiuroidea -- Order : Ophiurida

Fattail Scorpion

Fattail Scorpion

There are about eighteen species within the genus Androctonus. All of them can go by the common name of Fattail Scorpion. These arachnids live in the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa and the Middle East, and have venom that is strong enough to kill a human!

Fattail Scorpions get their name from the fact that "tail" is pretty thick, compared to those of other Scorpion types. Did you know that Scorpions do not eat solid food? They hunt insects, especially Crickets, and when they inject the venom their prey's insides turn to liquid, which the Scorpion then slurps up!

As previously mentioned, Fattail Scorpions are capable of killing people. One particular species, A. australis, is responsible for several deaths every year throughout their wide range, and has the highest number of deaths attributed to it overall among Scorpions. They often live near human habitation, and there is an anti-venom, but even those who receive fast treatment can experience lingering side-effects, including headaches and loss of feeling.

Interestingly, there are people who keep Fattail Scorpions as pets, but they are defiantly not recommend for beginners, due (obviously) to their dangerous and aggressive nature.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Africa and the Middle East
Size : Length up to 4in (10cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Arachnida -- Order : Scorpiones
Family : Buthidae -- Genus : Androctonus 

Greater Blue-ringed Octopus

Hapalochlaena lunulata

The Greater Blue-ringed Octopus is, interestingly, not even the largest of the Blue-ringed Octopuses. That honor goes to the confusingly named Lesser (or Southern) Blue-ringed Octopus, which is only a hair larger. In fact, all members of the Blue-ring groups are quite small-- most are only a few centimeters in body length, with tentacles only a tad longer.

 The Greater Blue-ringed Octopus is distinctive among its family members in that it has a relatively large range. Most others live in a very specific watery area, but the Great Blue-ringed can be found in tropical waters throughout the Pacific Ocean, and in parts of the Indian Ocean as well.

These Octopuses get their names from the bright blue circles that appear when they feel threatened. I should note that these rings are visible during calm periods as well, but they are much less noticeable. Those vibrant patches serve as warnings to predators because these guys are venomous! Greater Blue-ringed Octopuses actually have two types of venom-- one that they use to deter would-be attackers, and one that they themselves use to attack prey (small little invertebrates and fish).

Great Blue-ringed Octopus venom can be incredibly dangerous to humans. They don't usually attack unprovoked, but if you do something to make them feel threatened, watch out! The toxin paralyzes and can kill in a matter of minutes!

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Tropical Pacific Ocean
Size :  Body length up to 5cm

Classification : Phylum : Mollusca -- Class : Cephalopoda -- Order : Octopoda
Family : Octopodidae -- Genus : Hapalochlaena -- Species : H. lunulata

Crown-of-Thorns Starfish

Acanthaster planci

The Crown-of-Thorns Starfish is a very large sea star, sporting diameters of up to 20 inches across. They are actually the second largest of all the Sea Stars, beaten only by the massive, nearly meter wide Sunflower Starfish. Crown-of-Thorns Starfish can be found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, as well as in the Red Sea. They are solitary creatures, and live on Coral Reefs.

 Crown-of-Thorns Starfish get their name from the massive spines that grow out of their body. These spines are capable of piercing diving suits, and are full of a neurotoxin that can cause severe pain and swelling in humans. Coral plays a huge part in this Starfish’s life. They are predators that feed off of the Coral Polyps, and their choice of meal can cause huge amounts of damage to the reefs. They pose one of the greatest natural threats to the Great Barrier Reef, for example, because they can feed on Coral faster than the Coral can grow back.

Outbreaks of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish happen in part because they don’t have too many natural predators, and many of those creatures that do feed on them are overfished. Another reason for the infestations deals with the health of the reefs themselves. Erosion and agricultural runoff has caused reefs to decline in health, which means they aren’t able to consume the Starfish are quickly when they are in their larval phase.

 Efforts have been made to remove and kill Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, but they are tricky to get rid of, since they can regenerate from severed limbs! One method that has had some effectiveness is injecting the Starfish with sodium bisulfate, which is lethal to them but causes no damage to the surrounding reef. Physical removal is also sometimes carried out, but it is more difficult to manage as the Starfish are able to poke through the divers’ wetsuits.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed

Location : Indian and Pacific Oceans

Size : Diameter up to 20in (50cm)

Classification : Phylum : Echinodermata -- Class : Asteroidea -- Order : Valvatida
Family : Acanthasteridae -- Genus : Acanthaster -- Species : A. planci

Staghorn Coral

Acropora cervicornis

Today we delve into the story of the Staghorn Coral, a really cool species that is very quickly going extinct.

Staghorn Corals are named for their deer antler-like shape, and their individual branches can grow up to 2m long. They are the fastest growing of all the western Atlantic Corals, capable of adding on another 4-8in each year. Staghorn Coral has a relationship with algae, and the Coral gets most of its food from the byproducts of the algaes' photosynthesis.

Unfortunately they are a species that does not handle change very well, and  even slight variations in temperature or water salinity can damage and even kill the polyps. Hurricanes, White Band Disease, Algae overgrowth, increased predation, and human interaction has caused a 98% population decline since 1980.

Staghorn Coral is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and was placed on the United States Endangered Species List in 2006. Efforts are being made to revitalize the species, including retattaching broken branches, but the future of the Staghorn Coral is still very much in question. Not helping matters is the fact that the Coral primarily reproduces asexually. Fragments break off and then reattach elsewhere to create new Corals. While this works to repopulate after hurricanes and other natural events, it doesn't work well in cases of disease and bleaching. Lack of genetic diversity can hurt the revitalization of the species.

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IUCN Status : Critically Endangered
Location : Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean
Size : Branches can grow up to 6.5ft (2m)

Classification : Phylum : Cnidaria -- Class : Anthozoa -- Order : Scleractinia
Family : Acroporidae -- Genus : Acropora -- Species : A. cervicornis

Leopard Lacewing

Cethosia cyane (Male, Top)

It's not too hard to figure out why the Leopard Lacewing has its name. The males of the species sport colorful orange wings with spotted patterns and a lace-like border around the edges. While the topside is vibrant, the undersides of the wings are even more boldly patterned with dots and bars.

Females maintain the same pattern as the males, but their colors are significantly more muted. Instead of bright yellows and oranges they have dull grays and whites.

Caterpillars are also brightly colored, and remind me a lot of Coral Snakes. They have bars of red, black, and yellow that run down the length of their bodies. The Caterpillars feed on plants within the Passiflora genus, and actually produce chemicals from the plant that help to defend against predators.

Male Underside of Wing

And where can one find these lovely looking Butterflies? Well, there original range was in India and southern China, but they have recently been spotted in the Malay Peninsula as well.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : South and Southeast Asia
Size : Body length around 18in (45cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Nymphalidae -- Genus : Cethosia -- Species : C. cyane

Broad-bodied Chaser

The Broad-bodied Chaser is a very distinctive Dragonfly that is found in several locations across Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. They are typically found around areas of still water, and fly from April until September, though are most common from May to June.

Both the male and female Chasers have very flat, broad abdomens (hence the name). Both sexes have yellows spots running down the length of the abdomen, but the primary color differs. Males develop a pale blue pruinescence, while females have abdomens that are golden brown.

Libellula depressa (male)

Female

Males of the species are very territorial, and will fight other males that enter their airspace. If a female enters the territory, the male will often approach and grapple them, mating in mid-flight. The coupling is very brief, and afterwards the female will search for a suitable place to lay her eggs. She deposits them by flying over water with submerged vegetation, and dipping her abdomen in. It will take around a month for the eggs to hatch, and the young Dragonflies can live underwater as larvae for up to two years. Once they become adults, they often spend some times away from the water.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Europe and Asia
Size : Wingspan up to 7cm

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Odonata
Family : Libellulidae -- Genus : Libellula -- Species : L. depressa

Karner Blue

Karner Blue (male)

I recently learned that the third Friday in May is Endangered Species Day... which would make that today! So let's learn a little about one animal on the United States Endangered Species List-- the Karner Blue. They are very small subspecies of the Melissa Blue Butterfly, sporting wingspans of around 1in. They have different appearances based on their sex-- males are a deep blue with silvery fringing, while females are more brown with orange spots. One fact I found particularly interesting is that the subspecies was actually discovered and named by Novelist and Lepidopterist Vladimir Nabokov in 1944.

Karner Blues are Butterflies that  are now found only in a few States. They used to live in a large band that stretched across the northern United States, but their population is now fragmented between parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New York, and New Hampshire.

This pretty little insects were federally listed in 1992, due to habitat destruction and over-collection. Karner Blues are having a rough time because as Caterpillars they are 100% dependent on Blue Lupine flowers. Those plants are where the females lay their eggs, and it is on those plants that the Caterpillars feed. Blue Lupines grow in sandy areas near river valleys, which are popular locations for human settlement and development. When the habitat is changed, the Blue Lupines cannot grow and the Butterflies cannot reproduce.

In order to save the Karner Blue, we have to protect the Blue Lupines. Areas are being protected, and Butterflies are being reintroduced to revitalized areas where they once lived. One local effort is in my home state-- the Karner Blue Habitat Conservation Plan in Wisconsin is the first developed plan of its type in the country, and works with private groups to protect the habitats of these insects.

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IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : United States
Size : Wingspan 1in (3cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Class : Insecta -- Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Lycaenidae -- Genus : Lycaeides -- Species : L. melissa -- Subspecies : L. m. samuelis