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How to Classify the Karner Blue Butterfly

The endangered Karner blue butterfly once roamed throughout the northern portion of the United States from New Hampshire westward to Iowa. As of 2003, the populations had been extirpated from Ontario, Maine, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. Remnant populations remain in Indiana, Minnesota, New York and New Hampshire as of the early 2000s. Classifying this butterfly from superfamily Papilionoidea up to the kingdom animalia is easy, but gets somewhat more difficult when you specify down to the species.

Instructions

- 1
  Begin the classification in the middle with the superfamily Papilionoidea. Papilionoidea is the scientific name for butterflies.
- 2
  Work backward to the kingdom. The superfamily Papilionoidea is in the suborder Macrolepidoptera of the order Lepidoptera, which is the order of butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera is in the superorder Neoptera, which is in the subclass Pterygota, or winged insects, of the class Insecta, or insects. Insects are in the subphylum Hexapoda, which contains insects, diplurans and proturans, of the phylum Arthropoda, or all arthropods including insects, spiders and crustaceans. Arthropoda is in the kingdom animalia, or the common name of animals.
- 3
  Work down from Papilionoidea to find the species. The family Karner blue butterflies belong to is Lycaenidae, which also contains copper, hairstreaks, harvesters and gossamer-winged butterflies. Within this family, Karner blue butterflies belong to the genus Lycaeides.
- 4
  Work down toward the species from the genus Lycaeides. Karner blue butterfly is the common name for the scientific Lycaeides melissa samuelis.

Insects & Science