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Icarus


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: 2015-10-02
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony Cybershot DSC HX200V
Exposure: f/5.0, 1/400 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2015-11-02 7:36
Viewed: 1265
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
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.
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To aljy: ....lousat 1 11-03 11:04
To Noisette: ....lousat 1 11-03 04:07
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2015-11-02 8:04]

Ciao Luciano,
Very beautiful photo of this Common Blue in splendid natural colours and excellent sharpness. Very nice choice of composition.
Regards,
Peter

hallo Luciano
great shot with beautiful blue colour
and super good sharpness
thanks gr lou

Very nice blue coloured bfly
I dreamed a moment that panning of blue butterfly
(Sorry for my limited english)
selam

bonsoir Luciano
quand je regard cette photo, on se croirait encore en été avec les couleurs lumineuse et la superbe luminosité, le papillon est photographié avec beaucoup de details et les ailes parfaitement ouvertes
Passe une bonne nuit
Jacqueline

Hello Luciano,

Beautiful blue species again! Well captured and well decentralized placed. Well manage light too.
Regards and thanks for sharing,
Best regards,
Srikumar

  • Great 
  • aljy Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 47 W: 4 N: 42] (593)
  • [2015-11-03 10:45]
  • [+]

a coolly capture dear luciano... how ar u all doing?

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3097 W: 109 N: 12399] (52850)
  • [2015-11-03 13:16]

Hello Luciano,
Beautiful Common Blue. Sharpness and exposure are great. Perfect dark blurred background that contrasted with the Common Blue. Also like your composition.Regards Sigi

Ciao Luciano, dalle mie parti è diventata quasi una rarità da un paio d'anni, magnifica macro, favoloso azzurro e splendida nitidezza, bravissimo, ciao Silvio

Ciao Luciano,
j'espère que tu vas bien?
très belle présentation de ce joli petit papillon bleu. Très beaux détails et beau contrast avec le jaune de la fleur.
bonne journée
pierre

  • Great 
  • periko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 70 W: 2 N: 145] (1487)
  • [2015-11-04 19:53]

Hi Luciano
I have seen several pictures of this nice species.
The color is really beautiful.
Good work

tfs
Pedro

Hallo Luciano,
Beautiful image of this small Common Blue in splendid natural colours .

Biswarup

  • Great 
  • iti Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 577 W: 0 N: 650] (7939)
  • [2015-11-09 10:20]

Hi Luciano,
Beautiful photo of this nice blue butterfly.
Excellent detail and focus.
Regards Jiri.

Ciao Luciano,
Il tenpo è tiranno e in questo sito ci passo veramente poco ... sono impressionato dalla quantità e dalla bellezza delle tue immagini !
Mi soffermo in questa ma meriterebbero anche tutte le altre un commento, la compo i dettagli e l'associazione cromatica sono veramente superlativi... e pure la nota informativa è più che completa, che dire ... complimenti !

  • Great 
  • nofer Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1190 W: 366 N: 811] (2307)
  • [2015-12-10 8:28]

Tenho muitas borboletas fotografadas, mas as suas são excelentes.....!!! Boas cores, contraste. Ângulo. Parabéns. Reynaldo

Ciao Luciano,
Love the contrast of the inset to the environment, the blue, the yellow and green very clear and fresh, the notes as always outstanding.
TFS,
Nelson

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