Breeding Lycaenidae

[lamprima2]

Does anyone on this Forum breed any Lycaenidae species? I am asking because a friend of mine is fond of this group, mainly because he is fond of Nabokov's writing. I'd love to get a few specimens for him, preferably captive-reared. About 40% of these butterflies are myrmecofilae, and rearing these species is practically impossible. I also remember that the former owner of this site, Clark, reared some Atlides halesus on mistletoe, and that's about it. I suffer from vertigo and do not feel like climbing a tree to reproduce Clark's achievements. Could anyone share personal experiences on Lycaenidae rearing? Can anyone share the pupae of this group?

[wollastoni]

On the ICF forum, you will find plenty of great Lycaenidae rearing topics with pictures of eggs, caterpillars and pupaes by our friend @wolf : https://collector-secret.proboards.com/ ... g-breeding

One example : https://collector-secret.proboards.com/ ... gyrognomon

I am sure there are plenty of Lycaenidae species you can easily rear in the US too.

[lamprima2]

wollastoni,
Thank you for your quick and informative reply!

[MikeH]

Perhaps review this website, the author is a prolific rearer of western US butterflies including Lycaenidae and there are some detailed pictures and tips for many species.

I have reared several species of blues (from larvae, not egg) and I don't think ant associations are really necessary for rearing, my understanding is that species in the USA use ants to deter predators but if rearing cages are kept clean of pests they will still grow normally. Ants can be useful for finding larva though.

http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/

[lamprima2]

MikeH,
Thank you for the tip.
The site looks promising!

[wolf]

Many of the lycaenidae i've bred also is associated with ants, but i didnt need them to be successful. As mikeh said, most of the time the ants are there for protection, excluding a few species that actually eats the ant larva such as species within Maculinea/Phengaris. Raisingbutterflies.org is a great resource! The techniques, etc, works great also with European species, which i breed.

[lamprima2]

wolf,
Thank you for your advice

[MikeH]

Can anyone share the pupae of this group?

Here is a pupa (I think/hope!!) Of Phaeostrymon alcestis I found on 7/3/24 in Baca Co. CO attached to its host leaf.




Hope it is viable.