Order:Lepidoptera(Butterflies)
Family: Lycaenidae (The Gossamer-Winged Butterflies)

Lycaenidae: The Gossamer-Winged Butterflies

Family Facts:

• The family is known as the Gossamer-Winged butterflies because their wings, like the fabric, generally appear delicate and shimmery.  Their wings are covered both by pigmented scales and by light-refracting scales.
• There are at least 100 species of Lycaenids in North America, with 47 occurring in Idaho.
• There are three main subfamilies represented in Idaho: the Blues (Subfamily Polyommatinae), the Coppers (Subfamily Lycaeninae), and the Hairstreaks and Elfins (Subfamily Theclinae).
• The butterflies are generally characterized by the following: 1) small size, with a wingspan usually less than two inches; 2) reduced forelegs in males but full-sized forelegs in females; 3) a slightly different pattern of wing veins.  Most of the Hairstreaks have a thin tail extending from the rear of the hindwing. 
• Eggs generally appear round and flattened.  Caterpillars generally are small, shaped like slugs, and hairy.  The caterpillars of many of the species of Blues and Hairstreaks have a dorsal nectary organ which produces a sugary solution agreeable to ants.  The ants feed on the solution and in turn protect the caterpillar from predators (a behavior referred to as "tending").  Pupae are generally small and round, may have a silk girdle, and are located near or on the ground.  Generally no cocoon is formed.   The pupa may have a nectary organ as well, allowing it to be tended by ants.   Some pupa are capable of emitting barely audible sounds, a behavior believed to aid in protection from potential predators.  Overwintering occurs as either the egg, caterpillar, or pupa.

Family Members in Idaho: