Icaricia icarioides

Icaricia icarioides
Mission blue, male upperside.
Fender's blue, male underside.
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Icaricia
Species:
I. icarioides
Binomial name
Icaricia icarioides
(Boisduval, 1852)
Subspecies

See text

Synonyms
  • Lycaena icarioides Boisduval, 1852
  • Cupido icarioides (Boisduval, 1852)
  • Plebejus icarioides (Boisduval, 1852)
  • Aricia icarioides (Boisduval, 1852)

Icaricia icarioides, or Boisduval's blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae found in North America. This butterfly has 25 recognized subspecies.

Their range extends throughout the western US and Canada from southern Saskatchewan to British Columbia. Its habitats include dunes, mountains, meadows, streams, and sage-lands. It is also found in open areas or openings in woods near its larval host.

Larvae feed on species of lupines (Lupinus). Adults feed on nectar from flowers of Eriogonum species and other composites.

Wingspan: 21 to 32 mm.