User:Xinyuy22/Celastrina echo

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Celastrina echo, known generally as the echo azure or western azure, is a species of blue in the butterfly family Lycaenidae.

The MONA or Hodges number for Celastrina echo is 4363.2.

Subspecies
These four subspecies belong to the species Celastrina echo:
 * Celastrina echo cinerea (W. H. Edwards, 1883) (southwestern azure)
 * Celastrina echo echo (W. H. Edwards, 1864) (Pacific azure)
 * Celastrina echo nigrescens (J. Fletcher, 1903) (northwestern azure)
 * Celastrina echo sidara (Clench, 1944) (Rocky Mountain azure)

General
Celastrina Echo (Edwards 1864), also known as Western Azure, is a specie of blue butterfly under the family Lycaenidae. It is found in North America regions, originated in Canada. Celastrina echo have been observed in mostly western region of United States, including California, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana.

The taxonomic division of Celastrina Butterflies has been a very complicated issue. Some scientists like Layberry et al once recognized C. echo as a subspecie of C.ladon (Cramer, 1780) in western Canada. At 2001, Guppy & Shepard nominated the C. echo to the species level. Until now, many scientists agreed to put C.echo as a distinguished specie.

Physical Identification and Relationship with Ants
The butterflies under the Lycaenidae family in general are usually flat as larvae. The adult individuals are usually small and have hairy, ringed antenna-like tails. Their wings are mostly bright glowing blue and green. A large portion of the Lycaenidae butterflies were found to have different associations with ants, mutualistic, parasitic, or predatory varied by specific species.

C. echo in particular is usually in pale blue-grey with small black spots or dashes. Based on the limited observations reported and the life history records of the other blue butterfly (Polyommatini), C. echo 's known life history starts with the eggs laid on the flower buds of its host plants. Attended and protected by the ants, C. echo 's larvae feed on the flower buds and flowers while ants receive sugar-rich honeydew from them throughout the larval lifespan. C. echo then may pupate within ant nests. Some Lycaenidae species may become parasites or even predator within the ant nest. The specific relationships to ants in the later life stage of C. echo are not quite clear.

Host Plants, Habitat, and Flight Period:
The C. echo larval foodplants are mainly composed of Ceanothus (California wild lilac). Spiraea (Holodiscus), Aesculus (California buckeye), Rubus (blackberries), and some legumes. The adults' host plants are also very diverse. They majorly feed on slower nectars coming from plants including the larval host plants listed above, Heteromeles (Toyon), Rhamnus (cascara), and several others.

C. echo were often observed in woodlands, shrublands, and near mountain streams: places that have woody host plants they feed on. Depending on the moisture and relative condition of the larval hostplants, C. echo may fly in 1-2 or maybe more broods from early spring to the fall (around February to late June, July, or even till October if there is no severe cold weather).

Subspecies
There are five recorded subspecies belong to the species Celastrina echo :


 * Celastrina echo echo (W. H. Edwards, 1864), also known as Pacific Azure;
 * Celastrina echo gozora (Boisduval, 1870), also known as Mexican Azure ;
 * Celastrina echo cinerea (W. H. Edwards, 1883), also known as Southwestern Azure;
 * Celastrina echo nigrescens (J. Fletcher, 1903), also known as Northwestern Azure;
 * Celastrina echo sidara (Clench, 1944), also known as Rocky Mountain Azure;