Melissa Blue

Known predators of Karner Blue larvae are primarily insects such as stink bugs, ants, and some wasps. Common parasitoids include tachinid flies and braconid and ichneumonid wasps. Common predators of adults are spiders, robber flies, ambush bugs, assassin bugs, and dragonflies. Though not documented, the absence of any reports of vertebrate predators may indicate some sort of anti-predator defense such as noxious smells or tastes, or toxins that are not tolerated by predators such as birds or mice.

Known Predators:

• pentatomid stink bugs (Podisus maculiventris)
• paper wasps (Polistes metricus)
• ants (Formica incerta)
• tachinid flies (Aplomya theclarum)
• braconid wasps (Apanteles)
• ichneumonid wasps (Paranoia geniculate)
• spiders (Araneae)
• robber flies (Asilidae)
• ambush bugs (Phymatidae)
• assassin bugs (Reduviidae)
• dragonflies (Anisoptera)

The upper surfaces of adult male Karner Blue wings are dark blue. On adult females the blue is much reduced by a black margin. The hindwing margins have partial orange bands that border several black spots. The undersides are whitish gray with black spots, and the hindwings have small silver spots capped with orange. The fringe on the wings is black. Females forewings range in size from 1.4 cm to 1.6 cm., with the males slightly smaller, ranging from 1.2 - 1.4 cm. Melissa Blues are very similar in coloration but have a black terminal line along the vertical hindwing margins.

Karner Blue eggs have been described as very small and radially symmetrical. They are pale green in color and slightly flattened in appearance, with fine geometric patterns that are deeply reticulated.

The larvae of L. melissa have dorsally flattened bodies and are pubescent. Their head capsules are brown-black to brown and their bodies are a pea green color. As the larvae age, they develop light green to white lateral stripes and dark green dorsal stripes. Just before the larvae are ready to pupate, their color and lateral stripes begin to fade. The pupae are bright green and smooth, and just before emergence, change to a light tan color with hints of purple. Larvae have three glandular structures that secrete a liquid most likely containing carbohydrates and amino acids. This secretion is avidly harvested by ants.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: female larger; sexes colored or patterned differently

Adult Karner Blues are known to live from 4-5 days up to 2-3 weeks. Total lifespan from egg through adult varies depending on the brood: eggs laid late in the season survive through winter and hatch the following year so the individuals live for about almost 12 months. Eggs laid early in May or June hatch, mature, reproduce and die in about two months.

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 11 months.

Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 9 to 12 months.

Karner Blues inhabit sandy pine barrens, lakeshore dunes, and sandy pine prairies that contain abundant lupine, Lupinus perinnis, their only larval foodplant. An important component of Karner Blue habitat is a heterogeneous mixture of sun and shade, and management efforts focused on improving and maintaining this habitat use fire and tree removal to facilitate this blend.

Melissa blues prefer dry ridges with tall-grass prairie biomes.

Habitat Regions: terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest ; scrub forest ; mountains

The range of Lycaeides melissa covers the northern and western United States, portions of central and western Canada, and extends southward to northern Baja California, Mexico. They occur in the Upper Sonoran to Canadian (sometimes Alpine) Life Zones in the Nearctic region.

Karner Blues, L. melissa samuelis, historically occurred in the northern tier from New Hampshire and New York westward to Iowa. They have been extirpated from Ohio, Ontario, Maine, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. There are remnant populations of Karner blues in Minnesota, Indiana, New York, and New Hampshire, and abundant populations in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Melissa Blues, L. melissa melissa, have the largest range of all the subspecies, occuring from Kansas to Manitoba westward throughout to northern Baja California, northern Mexico and west Texas. They have been extirpated south of the San Francisco Bay area.

Annetta Blues, L. melissa annetta, occur high in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, the alpine Sierra Nevada, and the higher altitudes of central Colorado.

Inyo Blues, L. melissa paradoxa (also known as L. m. inyoensis), are found in the Tehachapi Mountains in California.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

The larvae of the western populations of L. melissa eat a variety of legumes; Astralagus spp., Glycyrrhiza spp., Lotus spp., Lupinus spp., and Medicago spp.

The larvae of Karner Blue (L. mellisa samuelis) butterflies feed exclusively on wild lupine Lupinus perennis. Swengel (1995) found that the larvae seem to prefer lupine with larger leaves and longer, thicker stems. First and second instars chew tiny, circular holes in the leaves, and the third and fourth instars eat all but the upper or lower epidermis, leaving a window pane effect.

Adult Karner Blues have been observed nectaring on over 50 different species of flowers. They seem to select the nectar species with the greatest total number of flowers or flowering heads, usually yellow or white. Nectar species include Rock cress Arabis lyrata, lance-leaved coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata, flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata, sweet clover Melilotus alba, horsemint Monarda punctata, common cinquefoil Potentilla simplex, raspberry Rubus spp., showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa, butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa, and woodland sunflower Helianthus divaricatus. Males and females exhibit mud puddling behavior (sipping at moist earth) to obtain salts and minerals, and will sip human perspiration. Males have been observed feeding on animal droppings.

Plant Foods: leaves; nectar

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Nectarivore )

Most butterfly species serve as pollinators to a variety of plant species upon which they nectar. Larvae of the Karner Blues have a mutualistic relationship with ants. Studies have shown that larvae tended by these ants have a higher survival rate, most likely due to protection by the ants against larval predators.

Ecosystem Impact: pollinates

Mutualist Species:

• Aphaeno gaster
• Camponotus spp.
• Creatogaster cerasi
• Dolichonderus plagiatus
• Formica spp.
• Lasius spp.
• Monomorium emarginatus
• Myrmica spp.
• Paratrechina parvula
• Tapinomo sessile
• Tetramorium caespitum

Due to the rarity of Karner Blue butterflies, there are potential human benefits in the form of ecotourism. Additionally, restoration and habitat management activities for this species enhance and protect unique ecosystems valuable for their beauty and ecological function.

Positive Impacts: ecotourism ; research and education

There are no known negative impacts to humans by Lycaeides melissa.

There are many common names for the various sub-species of Lycaeides melissa. Karner Blues have been called Orange-bordered Blue, and Edward's Blue; Melissa Blue has been named Orange-banded Blue, Orange-margined Blue, Orange-bordered Blue, Karner Blue, and Edward's Blue. They have also been placed in the genus Plebejus.

Butterfly communication generally involves courtship flights and behaviors using visual cues. Some species are believed to emit pheremones to attract mates, but it is unknown if this true for Lycaeides melissa.

Communication Channels: visual

Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; chemical

Karner Blues were listed as federally endangered in 1992 due to losses in the eastern portions of their range. They are protected throughout their range, and many sites are actively managed. Karner blues are listed as threatened in the state of Michigan.

US Federal List: endangered

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: threatened

Eggs oviposited by first brood females hatch in 5-10 days in early June. Larvae go through four instars and pupate in late June - early July. After emerging in early to mid July, adults will mate and the females will oviposit eggs that will overwinter. During the following spring, these larvae will hatch in April and May and begin feeding.

Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis

During the daylight hours, male Karner Blues patrol near the lupines searching for females. Mating takes place primarily in open-canopied areas in the forests.

Karner Blue butterflies are bivoltine, the first brood emerging from late May to June, followed by the second brood from late July to August. The females emerge a few days later than the males. After mating, females will lay their eggs on various parts of the host plants (lupines) or on nearby sticks or pebbles. There is a difference in egg placement by first and second brood females. The majority of eggs in the first brood are placed on lupines, second brood females place the majority of their eggs on blades of grass.

Breeding interval: These blues are bivoltine, having two broods per year.

Breeding season: 2-3 weeks

Range gestation period: 5 to 10 days.

Average gestation period: 7 days.

Key Reproductive Features: semelparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous

Lepidopteran species do not provide any care for their offspring after the eggs are laid.

Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female)

Resident in central/Northern North America with several discontinuous populations in California and elsewhere, and across Eastern North America in a strip along the US/Canadian border (Scott 1986). Habitats are Upper Sonoran to Canadian (sometimes Alpine) zone clearings, shrubland and prairie. Host plants are usually herbaceous or shrubs with known hosts from many species in one family, Leguminosae. Eggs are laid on the host plant singly, on or near the host. Individuals thought to overwinter as eggs. There are several flights each year with the approximate flight time May1- early Sept. in the northern part of the range and April1-Oct31 in the southern part of their range (Scott 1986). Considered synonymous with Plebejus melissa by some (Scott 1986).

No immediate threats.

At least two broods annually, the flight peaking in June and again in August.

Occurs from southern BC south to northern Mexico, east through the Great Plains. There are isolated populations (the endangered Karner Blue, L. melissa samuelis) in the northeastern US and extreme southeastern Ontario (Layberry et al. 1998, Opler 1999).

"This blue has a complete row of orange spots on the hindwing underside, extending onto the forewing (although sometimes faint here). In prairie habitats, could be confused with Icaricia acmon, I. shasta, or Euphilotes ancilla, which also have hindwing orange spots. In Melissa, however, the orange spots extend onto the forewing. In the southern foothills region, this species can also be confused with the Northern Blue (L. idas). In Melissa, the orange spots are wider and the black crescents capping the orange spots are flatter, resulting in a more banded appearance. Melissa females always have a solid band of orange on the upperside, while the strongest-marked idas females have a row of orange crescents rather than a solid band. It is best to appreciate these differences by looking at more than one individual; uncertain specimens must be dissected for positive identification (see Guppy & Shepard 2001). The specimens illustrated in "Alberta Butterflies" (Bird et al. 1995) as Melissa are misidentified Northern Blues (L. idas). Balint and Johnson (1997) in their revision of polyomatine blues place Lycaeides as a subgenus within the larger genus Plebejus."

Native prairie grasslands.

No data avaialbale for Alberta. In the US, the eggs overwinter, and are pale green when first laid, turning white. The larva is green to white-green with a pale lateral line, and pupae are yellow-green (Scott 1986). Larvae are tended by ants (Scott 1986).

Larvae reportedly feed on a variety of legumes including lupines (Lupinus spp.), astragalus (Astragalus spp.), and wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota). There are no published foodplant records for western Canada.