Western pygmy blue

Brephidium exilis
	B. e. exilis; California
	B. e. thompsoni; Grand Cayman
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Brephidium
Species:	B. exilis
Binomial name
	Brephidium exilis; (Boisduval, 1852)
Synonyms
	Lycaena exilis Boisduval, 1852; Lycaena fea Edwards, 1871; Brephidium exilis ab. coolidgei Gunder, 1925; Brephidium exilis yucateca Clench, 1970; Lycaena isophthalma Herrich-Schäffer, 1862; Brephidium barbouri Clench, 1943; Brephidium exilis thompsoni Carpenter & Lewis, 1943;

The western pygmy blue (Brephidium exilis or Brephidium exile) is one of the smallest butterflies in the world and the smallest in North America. It has reached Hawaii, as well as the Persian Gulf, including eastern Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

It has a wingspan of about half an inch (12 mm).

Subspecies

Brephidium exilis exilis (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Mexico, New Orleans to Florida, Georgia)
Brephidium exilis isophthalma (Herrich-Schäffer, 1862) (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Bahamas)
Brephidium exilis thompsoni (Carpenter & Lewis, 1943) (Grand Cayman)^[2]

Images

B. e. thompsoni
Grand Cayman
B. e. thompsoni
Grand Cayman

References

^ Brephidium at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera
^ R. R. Askew and P. A. van B. Stafford, Butterflies of the Cayman Islands (Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2008) ISBN 978-87-88757-85-9, pp. 78-80

External links

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[1] Brephidium at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera

[2] R. R. Askew and P. A. van B. Stafford, Butterflies of the Cayman Islands (Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2008) ISBN 978-87-88757-85-9, pp. 78-80

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