E N D A N G E R E D S P E C I E S

MISSION BLUE
BUTTERFLY
z
CLASSIFICATION z

by: flicker user: THE KINGDOM IS ANIMALIA, THE PHYLUM IS ARTHROPODA,

JPilipson THE CLASS IS INSECTA, THE ORDER IS LEPIDOPTERA, THE
FAMILY IS LYCAENIDAE, THE GENUS IS ICARICIA, AND THE
SPECIES IS ICARIOIDES MISSIONENSIS.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHYLA AND CLASS
Organisms in the phyla of Organisms in the class insecta
arthropoda have a body plan have bodies supported by
Relatives of the mission that consists of exoskeletons.
blue repeated They also have
A close relative of the mission segments, each sensory
blue is the Pardalis blue. with a pair of by: flicker antennae, a
butterflies that are commonly user:
appendages. pair of,
found in the same areas are Anne Toal
the Acmon blue, the silvery Arthropod’s compound
blue, the eastern-tailed blue, internal organs eyes, one-three
and the echo blue. are generally simple eyes,
nnn built of and
repeated appendages
segments. that form
They also have open circulatory mouth parts. They also have six
systems. segmented legs.

Locations of the mission These areas include the Twin

blue
The mission blue butterfly is
restricted to three locations in
the San Francisco Bay area.
Peaks area of San Francisco, Fort
Baker in Marin County, and San
Bruno Mountain in San Mateo
County.
 by:flicker user: by: flicker by: flicker
Anne Toal user: Anne user: Anne
Toal Toal

Mission Blue Butterfly

Habitat of the mission blue
The mission blue is commonly found at elevations of about 700 feet. The butterfly requires a coastal
scrub and grassland habitat found only near the Golden Gate of San Francisco. The mission blue uses
the lupine flower to reproduce. Three types of lupine grow in this habitat. They are the lindley varied
lupine, the silver lupine, and the summer lupine.

Routines of the mission blue

Yearly the adults appearance is between early March and early
June. Lupines also appear at this time. The daily routines of the
mission blue butterfly usually go like this. They spend the day
getting nectar, perching on flowers and branches, flying to collect
food, mating, and ,for the females, laying eggs.

Reproduction of the mission blue

Females lay eggs onto leaves, stems,
flowers, and seed pods, of one the three types of lupines. The larvae hatch
after four to seven days and then they feed off the host lupine’s mesophyll
for about three weeks. The caterpillars then go dormant at the lupines base
in the leaves till spring. The caterpillars then feed off the lupine till
pupations when they again go dormant. When this is over, they reenter the
world as a mission blue butterfly. by: flicker
user:
lauradahl
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JPilipson
JPilipson Toal Toal

Endangerment of the mission blue

The reasons for Other habitat over the lupine’s habitat.
Reasons for the endangerment are destruction comes from This is also causing
mostly residential and cultivation, grazing, and mission blue butterflies
mission blue’s industrial development. aggressive, exotic plants. to become endangered.
This development is These include the
endangerment reducing coastal scrub European gorse and
habitat. pompous grass taking

LAWS PROTECTING THE MISSION BLUE

In 1984, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) drew up a recovery plan to protect mission blue
habitat. Habitats damaged by urbanization, off highway vehicle traffic, and exotic plant invasions, are
also being repaired.

Mission blues in by:

mission blue depends on
the perennial lupine to by: flicker
the food chain flicker
user: reproduce. Lupines
user: Anne
Toal
Some enemies of the ZeroOne provide nourishment the
butterfly are birds and larvae need to survive.
cats. Rodents are also a
predator. A type of Adaptions of the
Encryrtid wasp, that mission blue by:
makes it’s home in the Mission blues appear flicker
mission blue’s eggs, is annually at the same user:
also a predator. time as the lupine. This urtica
is important because the
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urtica urtica

Mission Blue Butterfly

MORE INFORMATION parasites by creating a trade with aunts. The aunts
Other interesting information about the mission protect them and in return the caterpillars secrete
blue is that the larvae secrete honeydew. honeydew for the aunts to feed on.
Caterpillars get protection from predators and

RESOURCES
THE
MISSION
BLUE <ref>http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall00projects/MissionBlue.htm</ref>|

<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropod</ref>|

ENDANGERED <ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect</ref>|

by: by: flicker

ENDANGERED flicker user: Anne
user: Toal
laur-
adahl

ENDANGERED
by:
by: flicker flicker
user: user:
Anne Toal ZeroOne
ENDANGERED