Asher's Blue - Hodges#4363.8
Celastrina asheri
This record describes Celastrina asheri (species). Recorded family: Lycaenidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
A new western azure species, Celastrina asheri, is described from the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. A lectotype is designated for Lycaena pseudargiolus var. nigrescens Fletcher, 1903 to secure the identity of that name. C. asheri broadly overlaps with the northeastern range of C. echo (W. H. Edwards, 1864) but is usually very distinct from that species. C. lucia (W. Kirby, 1837) is narrowly sympatric with C. asheri in British Columbia, the southwest corner of Alberta and along the Rocky Mountains in Montana. As far as is known, C. asheri uses only red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) and possibly oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor) as larval foodplants, while C. echo and C. lucia use a wide variety of larval foodplants. A lack of past research and confusion as a form of C. echo obscured the identity of C. asheri. (LaBar, Pelham & Kondla, 2022).
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Papilionoidea
- Family
- Lycaenidae (Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, Harvesters)
- Subfamily
- Polyommatinae
- Genus
- Celastrina (Azures)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: " Celastrina asheri is named in honor of 8-year-old Asher (Fig. 43). Surname is not given in accordance with family wishes. Asher suffers from an extremely rare neurological disease called 4H (or POLR3B-related) Leukodystrophy. His perseverance and kind heart inspire everyone around him, bringing rays of sunshine into the daily struggle of living with a disease that has no cure..." (LaBar, Pelham & Kondla, 2022).
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Celastrina asheri. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Asher's Blue - Hodges#4363.8 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by R; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz