InsectNet forum

Hey guys,

Recently, I've been trying to photograph a rare butterfly from Southern California. Its Callophrys Mossii Hidakupa, and there has been a location in the San Bernardino Mountains historically. It hasn't been seen in about 20 years at that spot. I went out last month to check out the exact canyon where it's hostplant is abundant. Even though the species does not emerge until April, I sifted through some of the host plant (a species of Sedum) to see if I could find anything, maybe pupae. I pulled out what I thought was another leaf, but it took me by surprise. I snapped a quick picture of it and then dropped it thinking it wasn't anything important. Once I got home, I reviewed the image I took and it looks suspiciously like the bottom part of a lycaenidae pupae. If it is, it was found at the base of Mossii's host plant, indicating it's very likely Callophrys Mossii Hidakupa. I wanted to come on here and ask if anyone agrees or has another diagnosis.

I'll insert the image I took (hopefully it's visible) and I'll follow that with a reference picture I found online. Let me know your thoughts, Is this part of a lycaenidae pupae? Is this even a pupae at all?

Seth,

That is a very good field photo for something so small. It certainly looks like the abdominal segments of a pupa and the shape is similar to the reference picture. Whether it is Callophrys mossii hidakupa or another species/genus/family is rather difficult to ascertain from the photo, and I am totally unfamiliar with the fauna in Southern California.

Note that species and subspecies names should always be written with a small first letter, only genus names start with a capital letter.

Adam.

It could possibly be the underside of a beetle abdomen, but it's a close match to the pupa in the life cycle sequence.

It could be a pupal fragment of Philotes sonorensis.