Polyommatus daphnis

Polyommatus daphnis
Male, upperface
Male, underface
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Clade:Euarthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Lycaenidae
Genus:Polyommatus
Species: P. daphnis
Binomial name
Polyommatus daphnis
Synonyms
  • Papilio daphnis Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775[1][2]
  • Meleageria daphnis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)[2]
  • Papilio meleager Esper, 1779[1][2]

Polyommatus daphnis, the Meleager's blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.

Subspecies

Subspecies include:[3]

  • Polyommatus daphnis daphnis – (South Eastern Europe, Crimea, South Urals)
  • Polyommatus daphnis elamita (Le Cerf, 1913) – (Kurdistan, Elburs, Talysh)
  • Polyommatus daphnis hayesi (Larsen, 1974) – (Lebanon)
  • Polyommatus daphnis versicolor (Heyne, 1895) – (Caucasus Minor, Armenia)

Distribution

This species can be found in Eastern and Southern Europe and Western Asia, ranging from Southern Poland to the Balkans, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Southern Urals, Turkey, Caucasus and Transcaucasia.[1][3]

Habitat

Polyommatus daphnis. Female, underface

These butterflies inhabit grassy and bushy areas, clearings in scrubland and open flowery meadows in hills, at an elevation of 200–1,700 metres (660–5,580 ft) above sea level.[4][5]

Description

Polyommatus daphnis has a wingspan of 36–38 millimetres (1.4–1.5 in).[4] These small butterflies present a sexual dimorphism. The upperside of the wings is bright blue in males, while in the females it is usually blue bordered with dark brown. The underside of the wings tends to be pale ocher in the females and grey-bluish in the males, with black spots surrounded by white. The hindwings are distinctly scalloped, especially in the females.[4][5]

Biology

It is an univoltine species. The butterflies fly from June to August.[4][5] The larvae feed on horseshoe vetch, sainfoin and Securigera varia. Larvae are attended by ants (Lasius alienus, Formica pratensis, Tapinoma eraticum).[3][6]

Bibliography

  • LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Beccaloni G.W., Scoble M.J., Robinson G.S. & Pitkin B.
  • Tom Tolman et Richard Lewington, Guide des papillons d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord, Delachaux et Niestlé, 1997 ( ISBN 978-2-603-01649-7)
  • Otakar Kudrna: The distribution atlas of European butterflies. In: oedippus. Band 20. Apollo Books, Stenstrup Danmark 2002, ISBN 87-88757-56-0, S. 258.
  • Chris A. M. van Swaay & Martin S. Warren: Red Data Book of European Butterflies (Rhopalocera), Nature and Environment, No. 99, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, 1999

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Polyommatus (Meleageria) daphnis". Fauna Europaea.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Polyommatus daphnis". Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel. Taxonomie
  3. 1 2 3 Funet
  4. 1 2 3 4 Simon Coombes Captain's European Butterfly Guide
  5. 1 2 3 Matt Rowlings Euro Butterflies
  6. ↑ Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfili Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa


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