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 Agriades glandon Arctic Blue

Forewing pointed; hindwing below with postmedian black spots weak or absent and surrounded by light patches. Does not occur in California.

 Agriades cassiope Cassiope Blue

Submarginal spots on forewing square or oblong; black discal dot on hindwing usually present; restricted to northern California.

 Agriades podarce Sierra Nevada Blue

Submarginal spots on forewing shaped like arrowheads pointed inward; discal dot on hindwing, if present, not black; restricted to northern California and southern Oregon.

 Lycaeides idas Northern Blue

Hindwing below with black terminal line reduced and interrupted on the veins; band of orange subterminal spots not as strong as in melissa; range generally north of melissa.

[Note: There are no consistent differences between these melissa and idas]

 Lycaeides melissa Melissa Blue

Hindwing below with black terminal line usually not as reduced as in idas and not as interrupted at the veins; row of orange subterminal spots usually larger than in idas; range generally south of that of idas.

[Note: There are no consistent differences between these melissa and idas]

 Plebejus saepiolus Greenish Blue

Hindwing below without row of orange subterminal spots; hindwing spots not surrounded by light patches as in icarioides spots of subterminal band simple, not surrounded by circles as in shasta.

 Plebejus emigdionis San Emigdio Blue

Both sexes with distinct orange suffusion on both hindwing above; black spots of forewing below stronger than spots on hindwing.

 Plebejus icarioides Boisduval's Blue

Hindwing below without row of orange subterminal spots; hindwing spots surrounded by light patches unlike in saepiolus.

 Plebejus shasta Shasta Blue

Hindwing below with spots with outer circles not simple as in saepiolus.

 Plebejus acmon Acmon Blue

Both sexes with a distinct orange band with black spots on hindwing above; male generally smaller and a paler blue than lupini; discal dot usually absent on hindwing above.

 Plebejus lupini Lupine Blue

Both sexes with a distinct orange band with black spots on hindwing above; male generally larger and darker blue than acmon; discal dot usually present on hindwing above.

 Plebejus neurona Veined Blue

Characterized by the orange streaking of the forewing above.