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Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Lycaenidae
77a0658 – 4374   Plebejus idas (Linnaeus, 1761)
Distribution Data for Plebejus idas
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Larva and
Host Plants:
Host familiy: Ericaceae Fabaceae.  Host genera: Aeschynomene Astragalus Calluna Cercis Cicer Empetrum Genista Hedysarum Hippocrepis Hosackia[=Lotus] Kalmia Lathyrus Lotus Lupinus Melilotus Oxytropis Trifolium[=Chrysaspis] Rhododendron Vaccinium Vic...  Notes: many legumes (Allen et al 2005); Ericaceae (Guppy & Shepard 2001); mostly leaves, sometimes flower buds, associated with ants (Scott 2020).  (Shropshire & Douglas 2025)
Similar Species:
  • Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:
  • idas (Linnaeus, 1761) (Papilio) extralim. - MONA 1983: [NEW]
  • argyrognomon of authors; (not Bergstrasser, 1789) (Papilio) misappl. - MONA 1983: [4374]
  • ssp. a. empetri (Freeman, 1938) (Plebeius)
  • ssp. b. aster (Edwards, 1882) (Lycaena)
  • ssp. c. scudderii (Edwards, 1861) (Lycaena)
  • subarcticus (Chermock, 1945) (Plebeius)
  • ssp. d. nabokovi (Masters, 1972) (Lycaeides)
  • ssp. e. alaskensis (Chermock, 1945) (Plebeius)
  • ssp. f. atrapraetextus (Field, 1939) (Plebeius)
  • ferniensis (Chermock, 1945) (Plebeius)
  • sweadneri (Chermock, 1945) (Plebeius)
  • ssp. g. sublivens (Nabokov, 1949) (Lycaeides)
  • ssp. h. longinus (Nabokov, 1949) (Lycaeides)
  • References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)
    • Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced.
    • Linnaeus, C., 1761. Fauna Svecica, 2: 284.
    • Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online)
    • Species Page at BugGuide.Net
    • Species Page at iNaturalist
    • Species Page at the Butterflies of America

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