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Polyommatus icarus male


Polyommatus icarus male
Photo Information
Copyright: Luciano Gollini (lousat) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1985 W: 6 N: 5555] (19763)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-09-30
Categories: Insects
Exposure: f/4, 1/250 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): CeltickRanger's favorite photos [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-10-09 15:50
Viewed: 312
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Superfamily: Papilionoidea

Family: Lycaenidae

Subfamily: Polyommatinae

Tribe: Polyommatini

Genus: Polyommatus

Species: P. icarus

Male uppersides are an iridescent lilac blue with a thin black border. Females are brown with a row of red spots along the edges. They usually have some blue at the base of the wings and, especially in Ireland and Scotland, are mostly blue but always have the red spots. Undersides have a greyish ground colour in the males and more brownish in the females. Both sexes have a row of red spots along the edge of the hindwings (extending onto the forewings though generally fainter, particularly in the males where they are sometimes missing altogether). There are about a dozen black centered white spots on the hind wings, nine on the forwings. The white fringe on the outer edge of the wings is not crossed with black lines as it is in the Chalkhill and Adonis Blues, an important difference when separating these species, particularly the females.
It is Britain's (and probably Europe's) most common and most widespread blue, found as far north as Orkney and on most of the Outer Hebrides. Males are often very obvious as they defend territories against rivals and search out the more reclusive females. A range of grassland habitats are used: meadows, coastal dunes, woodland clearings and also many man made habitats, anywhere where their food plants are found.
It is widespread in Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia.
Recently, Polyommatus icarus was discovered in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada by Ara Sarafian. An amateur entomologist, he had been observing the butterfly from 2005 to 2008. He contacted the Canadian National Collection of Insects in Ottawa where the butterfly was identified as P. icarus, a new alien butterfly to Canada and North America. The butterfly seems to be well established and is extending its range from year to year.
The main food plant on most sites is Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Others used include Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Common Restharrow Ononis repens, White Clover Trifolium repens and Lesser Trefoil Trifolium dubium. Eggs are laid singly on young shoots of their food plants.
The caterpillar is small, pale green with yellow stripes and as usual with lycid larvae rather slug-like. Hibernation occurs as a half grown larvae. They are attractive to ants but not as much as some other species of blues. The chrysalis is olive green/brown and formed on the ground where it is attended by ants which will often take it into their nests. The larvae creates a substance called honey dew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. In the south of Britain there are two broods a year flying in May and June and again in August and September. Northern England has one brood flying between June and September. In a long warm year there is sometimes a partial third brood in the south flying into OctobeR.

Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg 1775) Icaro
Descrizione
Piccolo lepidottero dallo spiccato dimorfismo sessuale. I maschi con ali superiormente blu e con riflessi violacei, margini soffusi di nero e contornati di frange bianche. Le femmine hanno livrea marrone con riflessi bluastri. Le parti inferiori, in ambedue i sessi, sono grigiastre o marrone chiaro, con macchie nere contornate di bianco e serie complete di lunule arancioni puntate di nero.

Biologia
La specie, svernante allo stadio di bruco, compare da aprile in poi con due o tre generazioni annuali. Le larve vanno alla ricerca di varie Papilionacee (gen. Medicago, Genista, Trifolium, Lathyrus, Ononis, Lotus, ecc..); si presentano verdi con linea medio dorsale più scura e fianchi percorsi a livello degli stigmi da una fascia biancastra. La ninfosi dura circa due settimane.

Distribuzione ed ecologia
L'areale abbraccia Europa ed Asia temperata, presente anche in Nordafrica e Anatolia. In Italia è specie alquanto diffusa dal livello del mare ai 2000 m. Nel territorio è tra i più comuni lepidotteri, lo si riscontra in cespuglieti, siepi e margini boschivi.
boreocypriensis, nasokoun, livius, Gert-Paassen, maurydv, roges, cloud, cirano, goatman04, Noisette, sranjan, nikosrio, anemone, CeltickRanger, siggi has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Noisette: ...lousat 1 10-10 15:59
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Luciano,

This icarus looks like a flower from this POV:) it is well integrated to plant. Great details and delightfıul composition MF!
TFS and have a nice WE amico!
Cheers,

Bayram

buongiorno Luciano
is the first photo that I open, cheerful with colours, what a beautiful light and how lightens these,splendid composition,a very pleasant picture,very fine outout!
TFS
Nasos

  • Great 
  • livius Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 182 W: 0 N: 301] (1175)
  • [2009-10-09 23:47]

Ciao Luciano
davvero perfetto il modo in cui sei riuscito a ritrarre questa piccola Polyommatus facendola veramente venir fuori dalla foto grazie a questo sfondo sfocato che ne mette in risalto tutto il contorno delle ali. La messa a fuoco e la bella luce valorizzano dettagli e colori come non mai.
Spero comunque di riuscire a farmi vedere più spesso.
Livio

Hi Luciano,

a nice image with good above pov from butterfly and flower.
Fine colours and good details.

Gert

Ciao Luciano,
una bellissima immagine che si contraddistingue per l'eccellente scelta compositiva con un punto di ripresa dall'alto e l'ottimo bilanciamento di tutti gli elementi, ottima nitidezza e colori luminosi.
Grazie e complimenti
Buon fine settimana
Ciao Maurizio

  • Great 
  • roges Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 630 W: 0 N: 585] (3316)
  • [2009-10-10 1:58]

Ciao Luciano,
Un'altra macro interessanti. Eccellente riprodurlo. Quali colori gorgeous! Thanks for posting.
Buon fine settimana,
Adrian

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2422 W: 94 N: 5616] (17852)
  • [2009-10-10 2:09]

Hello Luciano,
Beautiful photo in clear colours. Excellent sharpness, details and composition. Good DOF and POV.
Have a good weekend,
Peter

  • Great 
  • cloud Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 297 W: 71 N: 758] (4703)
  • [2009-10-10 2:25]

Hello Luciano,
In uncommon framing excellent patches of blue and green colours. This blue butterfly with wide wings look especially prettily.
Regards, Pawel

Ciao Luciano, magnifica tonalità d'azurro per questa splendida piccoletta, ottima DOF e magnifici dettagli, deliziosa macro, bravo, buon week end, ciao Silvio

Ciao Luciano. Brillantissima questa macro e ottimo POV. Più che posato sembra galleggiare sopra lo sfondo vegetale. Ottima lcue.

Roberto

Slav Lûcîano,
Very good close up of this male Polyommatus icarus in open wings with an excellent composition and Great POV.Very nice colors and perfect sharpness.
Thanks for sharing and have a nice day.

Dûrzan

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1347 W: 0 N: 2588] (9129)
  • [2009-10-10 6:29]

Hi Luciano,
superbs shot of this excellent blue. I like your composition very much. It highlights the details and the colours at its supreme.
Nice flowers too to give another good view.

Regards,
Foozi

hello Luciano
super composition with great details and beautiful colours
greeting lou

Hello Luciano,

A great macro with beautiful delicate coloration, sharpness & details. Lovely POV, pose & BG.

Well done & TFS.

Best wishes

Umar

bonjour Luciano
la très belle luminosité donne de superbes couleurs a cette photo, les ailes bleues de l'Argus splendides,
magnifique composition avec une pose parfaite sur les jolies fleurs pourpres
le tout avec des details clairs et nets
Passe une bonne nuit et un bon dimanche
Jacqueline

Clásica y bella esta poliommatus, pero sin duda destacan los colores tan bien captados y la mezcla de color lila con verde.
Un abrazo: Josep Ignasi.

Hello Luciano,
Beautiful shot of P icarus with pleasant iridescent lilac blue. Have a nice weekend.
Regards-Subhash

Hello Luciano.
Excellent capture, very sharp details, nice colors and light,very interesting composition,
have a nice day,
Nikos.

Hello Luciano,
Good concord butterfly whit on the flower.. Brilliant colour and great POV..
Thanks for sharing
Best Regards
Özgür

hello Luciano

an beautiful photo of this wonderfully colored butterfly
with the soft colour tones, fine POV anb appropriate framing,
fine focus excellent sharpness and details, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1395 W: 56 N: 4813] (16556)
  • [2009-10-11 10:46]

Hello Luciano.
A great capture of this blue.
Very good DOF,nice detail and a good POV.
Great shot.Best regards Siggi

  • Great 
  • briGG Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 171 W: 2 N: 272] (1383)
  • [2009-10-11 11:48]

Ciao Luciano!

Chez nous tous ces papillons ne fréquentent plus les champs et la nature. L'automne est là... c'est plutôt la période des champignons!

Très beau bleu, très tendre! J'aime beaucoup la composition de la photo!
Bonne soirée

Brigitte

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