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Polyommatus icarus


Polyommatus icarus
Photo Information
Copyright: Luciano Gollini (lousat) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 6595 W: 89 N: 15659] (65489)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2017-08-28
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC HX200V
Exposure: f/5.0, 1/800 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Map: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2017-09-26 2:22
Viewed: 1060
Points: 14
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Polyommatus sp. (cfr. icarus)
After so many wrong identifications of the last lycaeneids I posted from Georgia, I am finally sure to post today the most common representative of this family .....

Order: Lepidoptera

Superfamily: Papilionoidea

Family: Lycaenidae

Subfamily: Polyommatinae

Tribe: Polyommatini

Genus: Polyommatus

Species: P. icarus

The Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus) is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.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.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.

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.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.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.
marius-secan, ramthakur, pierrefonds has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Luciano,
This specie is always nice and colorful. It is good that you found it easy because in the last few years the number of individuals I find is much lower.
Marius.

splendida ! , non ricordavo che stai pure quì .....

  • Great 
  • tuslaw Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2754 W: 282 N: 4931] (19883)
  • [2017-09-27 11:33]

Hello Luciano,
To me many of the blues look almost identical, I don't know how you can tell them apart. This however is a fantastic shot of the Common Blue. Super sharp while displaying plenty of detail and rich vivid colors. As with most of the little blues, it is beautifully marked. Well done!!
Ron

The genus of Blues is quite confusing at times, Luciano.
Glad you have got the correct ID of this Common Blue.
Surrounded by patches of various bright colours, the butterfly looks really beautiful.
Thanks.
Ram

Ciao Luciano, questa è proprio icarus, gran bella anche la composizione è deliziosa e i colori fantastici, bravissimo, ciao Silvio

Hello Luciano,
Beautiful picture of this Common Blue. Exposure looks very good and no shadow area. Good details and obliviously like your chosen eye level POV.
Thanks for sharing,
Regards,
Srikumar

Bonjour Luciano,

La fleur aide au cadrage du papillon. La prise de vue permet de voir les détails du papillon Argus bleu, La lumière met en valeur la beauté des couleurs. Bonne journée.

Pierre

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