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Polyommatus icarus female


Polyommatus icarus female
Photo Information
Copyright: Luciano Gollini (lousat) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1978 W: 6 N: 5527] (19673)
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
Date Submitted: 2009-10-11 12:06
Viewed: 262
Points: 40
[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.
parasbhalla, cirano, Argus, nasokoun, horias, maurydv, siggi, goldyrs, Noisette, CeltickRanger, goatman04, KOMSIS, anemone has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Noisette: ...lousat 1 10-12 16:32
To cobra112: scusa.cobra112 1 10-11 15:28
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Critiques [Translate]

hello Luciano
veru good sharpness composition with good details
beautiful colours and good BG.
greeting lou

Ciao Luciano. Le sfumature di colore ed il contrasto sono eccezionali. Ottima luce. Grosso sforzo, ampiamante ripagato, a tirare su il dettagalio.

Roberto

  •      
  • jignasi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1274 W: 0 N: 2043] (14789)
  • [2009-10-11 14:16]

Efectivo y acertado encuadre Luciano, con un buen enfoque y una saturación algo subida pero atractiva.
Buena semana: Josep Ignasi.

Ciao Luciano,

Lovely macro capture of an adorable butterfly with great details! The green blurry BG works well for this kind of capture, as it gives wonderful contrast to this lovely butterfly. The sharpness and POV are perfect. The DOF is well maintained.
Very well done, my friend!

best regards,
Paras

  • Great 
  • cirano Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 656 W: 0 N: 228] (4950)
  • [2009-10-11 15:49]

Slav Lûcîano,
Very good macro of thif common blue in open wings with excellent colors and fine sharp details.TFS.
Regards,
Dûrzan

  • Great 
  • joska Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 411 W: 0 N: 1022] (5516)
  • [2009-10-11 20:01]

Very good macro of this Butterfly!

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3821 W: 190 N: 11376] (35063)
  • [2009-10-11 22:31]

Ciao Luciano,
A very fine macro of a fresh specimen of a female P. icarus taken from a great POV to show her with her open wings with excellent sharpness ans colours against a fine contrasting OOF natural BG.
Very nice!
Thanks and have a good week.
Ivan

hello Luciano
good composition and exceptional output in colours and details,great and beautiful the result
TFS
Nasos

Ciao Luciano, bella anche la femminuccia, comunissima fafallina, ma mica facile riprenderla così bene come hai fatto tu, sempre piacevole vedere macro di questa qualità, magnifici dettagli per questa piccoletta, bravo, ciao Silvio

Luciano
Wonderful colors to this lovely capture.
Very sharp details.
Congratulation!
Horia

  • Great 
  • Mana Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5579] (18518)
  • [2009-10-12 0:47]

Hi Luciano,
Wonderful shot of this great looking butterfly in a fine pose. Superb colours and details with perfect light and DOF. Very nicely composed. Kudos.
TFS.
Sumon

Ciao Luciano.
un'altra bella macro di Icaro, splendida composizione e ottima definizione, il contrasto dei colori secondo me è un po' alto, ma comunque ben gestito considerata la difficoltà e l'impossibilità a trovare l'esposizione più bilanciata con la fotocamera a visione grandangolare.
Grazie e complimenti
Ciao Maurizio

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1378 W: 56 N: 4747] (16330)
  • [2009-10-12 3:40]

Hello Luciano,
nice shot of this little butterfly with open wings, the leaf & green bg looks lovely, sharp image, lovely colours,liked the framing too,Best regards Siggi

  • Great 
  • foozi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1339 W: 0 N: 2575] (9085)
  • [2009-10-12 5:15]

Hi Luciano,
excellent composition with lovely details nd good colours.
the contrast is so wonderful and very well presented shot.

Regards,
Foozi

An excellent wide winged POV, Luciano !Very well seena dn timed!
Bravo!
Goldy

  • Great 
  • briGG Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 171 W: 2 N: 272] (1383)
  • [2009-10-12 12:15]

Ciao Luciano!
merveilleux cadrage et très belle prise!!!
Bonne nuit

brigitte

bonjour Luciano
tu as su capturer cette femelle P. Icarus avec ses ailes grandes ouvertes ce qui n'est pas facile, la composition de cette image est vraiment superbe, les couleurs, le point de vue, la profondeur de champs et la luminosité sont excellents
Passe une bonne nuit et un bon mardi
Jacqueline

hello Luciano

beautifully composed butterfly photo, shot with fine POV,
superb focus great sharpness and details, beautiful luminosity,

TFS

Asbed

Hello Luciano,

A really beautiful macro with great sharpness, details & coloration. Great POV, open wings pose & BG.

Very nicely done & TFS.

Best wishes

Umar

Hi Luciano

Good shot of this beautiful butterfly. good composition, sharpness, details, DOF.

Chris

Ciao Luciano,
Different and beautiful composition ...
Butterfly's wings with the colors and detail are excellent.
Best wishes,
Seyfi

Hi Luciano, Wonderful macro capture with nice details, POV and composition..
thanks for sharing
Best regards
Özgür

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