Celastrina serotina, the cherry gall azure, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found across North America as far north as the treeline. Its flight time is between mid-May and mid-June in eastern Ontario after the spring azure and before the summer azure.[2] The larva has been reported to feed on galls of eriophyid mites (e. g. Eriophyes cerasicrumena) and apparently also on the mites themselves, making them one of the rare species of carnivorous Lepidoptera.[3] It is commonly found around woodland roads of upland mixed deciduous hardwood forests which are surrounded by wetlands.[4]

Cherry gall azure
Ottawa, Ontario
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Celastrina
Species:
C. serotina
Binomial name
Celastrina serotina
(Pavulaan and Wright, 2005)[1]

Similar species

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References

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  1. ^ Pavulaan, H. and D. M. Wright. (2005). Celastrina serotina (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae): A new butterfly species from the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The Taxonomic Report. Vol. 6(6):1-18.
  2. ^ Cherry Gall Azure, Butterflies of Canada.
  3. ^ Celastrina serotina (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae): a New Butterfly Species from the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada.
  4. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
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