HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Vernacle name: Italiano; FranÇaise; Deutsch; Slovenski jezik; English Lycaenidae
Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775) Icaro; l'Argus bleu; Hauhechel-Bläuling; Navadni modrin; Common Blue
All butterflies are drawing in life size
1
♀
2
♂
3
Diagnostic characters
Larval host plants 1
Habitat
♂ violet-blue, ♀ brown with orange submarginal spots and white fringes
2
cell-spot
3
black ocell 2-3-4 in line
Myrmecophily (ants species)
Widespread and very common; it can be found on a wide range of open habitats, often in unimproved grassland, roadside verges, woodlands edges and clearings, scrubby grasslands and every types of meadows.
Sunny preference LC
O
a wide range of Fabaceae
3000
IUCN’s threatened status Distribution
- nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
Lasius spp., F. cinerea, Plagiolepis pygmaea, Myrmica sabuleti, M. lobicornis
FW lenght
12-18 mm
Similar species
P. eros, P. bellargus J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni
Broods
bi tri
184
Fenology Altitudinal zonation
Example of the card
12
pol
Altitudinal range
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
Abbreviations C CW E f. FW FWup FWun HW HWup HWun N NE NW Ups Uns Sp sp./sp.pl. ssp. St V W ♂ ♀
Central Centralwest East Form Fore wing Fore wing upperside Fore wing undeside Hind wing Hind wing upperside Hind wing undeside North Northest NorthernWest Upperside Underside Wing Space species (singular)/species (plural) subspecies Streak Wing Vein West Male Female
13
Wing Venation
V10
V1-V12 : Veins Sp1 - Sp8: Space dc : discocellular vein
V11 V12 costal dc1 dc2 dc3
costa radial V or subcostal
cell
Sp1b V1
costa
Sp7
cell
Sp1a
dc1 dc2
ian
b Sp1
Sp2
Sp1
Sp6
V7 V6 V5
Sp3 V3
V2
V1b
V2
V8
Sp5 Sp4
V1a
Hind wing
V4
apex
Wing - area inal a re a
subapical area
margin
sub
b a s a l a re a
discal area
c
submarginal area
m a rg
ta os
outer margin
inner margin
anal angle
cos
ta
l ar
ea
rea la
submarginal area
a rg bm
m er
inn
di
ina
sc a
ba
sa l
a re
a
apex
arg
su
margin
in
outer margin
anal angle
14
Fore wing
V3
Sp2 Sp1a
ed
V4
Sp3
median
m
V9 8 p S Sp7 V8 V7 Sp6 V6 Sp5 V5 Sp4
KEY FOR THE FAMILY AND SOME GENUS
Thorax and head large with antennae widely separated; small-size butterflies with fast flight Hesperiidae - Thorax and head large with antennae widely separated; small to medium size butterflies with slow flight; wing brightly coloured (black or grey with red or yellow spots or strike) Zygaena - Different from above 2 1
2 -
Papilionoidea
Zygaena
Hesperidae
Ups white chequered with black; FW with subapical black ocellus>; medium-size butterflies Nymphalidae - genus Melanargia Different from above 3
Melanargia 3 -
Three pair of legs well developed Only two pair of legs well developed
4 11
I° I°
II° II°
4 - 5
III°
III°
Ups blue, white, whitish, pale grey, often with well developed dark marking - or yellow with HW scalloped or with tail 5 Ups orange, reddish, brown, blue, purple, black, or yellow with HW not scalloped and without tails 10 Small-size butterflies (FW length < 23 mm); Ups blue, ligth-blue, purple, silver, brown or grey, often with orange submarginal lunules; Uns white or pale grey, often with bluish - green basal flush and several black ocelli - or with several white and light brown 15
Hesperidae
Heteropterus morpheus (Pallas, 1771) Morfeo; le Miroir; Spiegelfleck Dickkopffalter; Pisani poplesovalček; Large Chequered Skipper 1
♂ ♀
2
1 dark brown 2
yellow with black-bordered white spots Sporadic, but sometimes locally common; form small well-defined colonies in pet bogs, along grassy woodland edges, tall herb fringes and grassy banks; it also occurs on dry scrublands.
LC
Molinia coerulea, Brachipodium sp. pl., Poa sp. pl.
O
16-18 mm
3000 - nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni bi tri
48
pol
Hesperidae
Carterocephalus palaemon (Pallas, 1771)
Palemone; l'Hespérie du brome, l'Échiquier; Gelbwüfeliger Dickkopffalter, Bunter Dickkopffalter; Lisasti obloglavček; Chequered Skipper 1
♀
♂
2
1 dark brown with yellow markings 2 yellowish brown with dark bordered yellow spots
Widespread but local and uncommon; it frequents bogs woodlands, woodland clearings and tall herb fringes.
LC
Molinia coerulea, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Calamagrostis epigejos, C. villosa, Phleum pratense, Poa trivialis
O
14-15 mm
3000 - nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni bi tri pol
49
Papilionidae
Zerynthia (Zerynthia) rumina (Linnaeus, 1758) La Proserpine; Spanish Festoon
1
â&#x2122;&#x201A;
â&#x2122;&#x20AC;
1 red spots on FW
Aristolochia pistolochia, A. rotunda
M
W Alps, locally common; occurs on dry grasslands, neglected cultivations areas, rocky slopes, dry scrubs and sunny slopes.
22-25 mm
LC
3000 - nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
Z. polyxena
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni bi tri
58
pol
Papilionidae
Parnassius mnemosyne (Linnaeus, 1758) Mnemosine; le Semi-Apollon; Schwarzer Apollo; Črni apolon; Clouded Apollo
1
♀
♂
1 both wings lacking red spots
M
Widespread and sometime very abundant; inhabits woodland clearings, forest edges, grassy slopes, bushy places, light woodland, subalpine pastures and hay meadows.
Corydalis solida, C. cava. 25-40 mm
NT
3000 - nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
P. apollo, P. phoebus, Aporia crataegi
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni bi tri pol
59
Pieridae
Pontia edusa (Fabricius, 1777) - Pontia daplidice (Linnaeus, 1758) Edusa; Östlicher Weißling; Eastern Bath White Daplidice; la Marbré-de-vert; Resedafalter; Katančev selec; Bath White 1
2 3
1 apex rounded 2 markings rounded 3 discoidal spot not reaching costa Both butterflies are usually common; occurs on dry grassland, grassy slopes, steppe, cultivated areas and stony grassland; migrants and vagrants.
LC
P. edusa
Reseda spp., Alyssum spp., Sisymbrium spp., Sinapis spp., Thlaspi spp.
O
19-25 mm P. edusa and P. daplidice are externally inseparable; identification based on the genetical analysis.
3000
P. daplidice
- nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni bi tri
86
pol
1 -
KEY TO THE GENUS COLIAS FW discoidal spot always well developed 2 FW lacking discoidal spot or discoidal spot small; Ups ground colour pale sulphur yellow (male) to off-white (female); black marginal borders solid black palaeno discoidal spot small or lacking
♀
♂ C. palaeno 2 -
FW strong black marginal border without yellowish marking FW black with several yellowish marking
3 -
Ups and Uns ground colour sulphur-yellow Ups ground colour orange yellow
4 -
Ups dark marginal borders crossed proximally by yellow veins Ups marginal borders unmarked by yellow veins
5 myrmidone ♂
5 -
HWup costa with androconial patch HWup costa without androconial patch
crocea ♂ chrysotheme ♂
sulphur-yellow
marginal border unmarked
3 6 erate ♂ 4
yellow veins
LC
androconial patch
C. erate ♂
C. myrmidone ♂
C. crocea ♂
C. chrysotheme ♂ 87
KEY TO THE BLUE POLYOMMATINAE
22 -
Orange submarginal lunules only on HWun Orange submarginal lunules on both wings
23 29
23 -
HWun orange spot only in Sp2 HWun with several orange submarginal spots
24 25
24 Ups ground-colour pale grey-blue with black discoidal spots white-winged Plebeius (Agriades) glandon ♂ - Ups ground colour dark violet-blue Plebeius (Vacciniina) optilete ♂
P. glandon 25 -
HWun without white chevron on sp4 HWun with white chevron on sp4
P. optilete
no white chevron on sp4
26 -
26 27
white chevron on sp4
Small butterfly (FW length <15 mm); Ups ground colour grey-bluish; fringes heavy chequered Pseudophilotes baton / Pseudophilotes vicrama Medium-size butterflies (FW >17 mm); Ups ground-colour dusky-blue with dark border wide, diffuse; FWun submarginal dark lunules often reduced or absent; fringes uniformly coloured Polyommatus (Polyommatus) amandus ♂
P. baton / P. vicrama 134
P. amandus
27 -
KEY TO THE BLUE POLYOMMATINAE
Small butterfly (FW length <15 mm); Ups ground-colour bright sky-blue with black marginal border well defined Polyommatus (Polyommatus) eros ♂ Medium-size butterflies (FW>15 mm) 28 cell-spot
P. eros
28 -
Ups pale grey-blue with faint yellowish reflections; FWun pale grey and HWun light-brown, with small black ocelli; fringes clearly chequered Polyommatus (Meleageria) coridon ♂ Ups pale grey-blue with faint reddish reflections; Uns pale grey, with large and bold black ocelli; fringes clearly chequered Polyommatus (Meleageria) hispanus ♂ faint yellowish reflections
faint reddish reflections
P. coridon 29 -
FWun with cell-spot FWun without cell-spot
30 -
Fringes uniformly coloured, white Fringes clear white chequered black
31 -
HWun with white chevron on Sp4 HWun without white chevron on Sp4
P. hispanus 30 31
Polyommatus (Polyommatus) icarus ♂ Polyommatus (Meleageria) bellargus ♂ 32 35
135
Lycaenidae
Plebeius (Albulina) orbitulus (de Prunner, 1798) Albulina dell'astralago; l'Azur de la phaque; Heller Alpen-Bläuling; Gorska bledica; Alpine Blue
2
♂
♀ 1
1
white spots conspicuous
2
♂ shining blue; ♀ light brown with basal blue dusting Sporadic but locally common; it frequents subalpine grassy slopes, pastures, scrubby grasslands, grassy screes and border of alpine streams.
LC
O
Astragalus alpinus, Oxytropis jacquinii, O. campestris, Hedysarum hedysaroides 12-14 mm
3000 - nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni bi tri
174
pol
Lycaenidae
Aricia eumedon (Esper, 1780) Eumedone; l'Argus de la sanguinaire; Storchschnabel-Bläuling; Krvomočničina rjavka; Geranium Argus 1
♂
♀
3 2
1
dark-brown with orange submarginal spots
2
basal green-blue flush
3
white streak along vein 4 Widespread and generally common; it frequents medows and woodland edges with abundant cranesbills; it also occurs on tall herb fringes.
LC
M
Geranium sylvaticum Lasius alienus, Myrmica spp., Tapinoma spp.
3000 - nival
2500
- alpine
2000
- subalpine
1500
- montane
1000
- lowland
500
14-17 mm
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D uni bi tri pol
175