''Polyommatus daphnis'', the Meleager's blue, is a

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

of the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family (biology), family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of ...

Subspecies

Subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

include: * ''Polyommatus daphnis daphnis'' – (South Eastern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, South

Urals The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

) * ''Polyommatus daphnis elamita'' (Le Cerf, 1913) – (

Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...

, Elburs, Talysh) * ''Polyommatus daphnis hayesi'' (Larsen, 1974) – (

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

) * ''Polyommatus daphnis versicolor'' (Heyne, 1895) – (

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

Minor,

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

)

Distribution

This species can be found in

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

and

Southern Europe Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...

and

Western Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

, ranging from Southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

to the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, Southern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

.Funet
/ref>

Habitat

These butterflies inhabit grassy and bushy areas, clearings in scrubland and open flowery meadows in hills, at an elevation of above sea level.Simon Coombe

Description

''Polyommatus daphnis'' has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

of . These small butterflies present a

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

. The upperside of the wings is bright blue in males, while in the females it is usually blue bordered with dark brown. The underside of the wings tends to be pale ocher in the females and grey-bluish in the males, with black spots surrounded by white. The hindwings are distinctly scalloped, especially in the females.Matt Rowling
Euro Butterflies
/ref>

Description in Seitz

''L. meleager'' Esp. (= ''daphnis'' Bgstr., female = ''endymion'' Schiff.) (81 a). male very large and very light sky-blue, strongly glossy, with a very narrow black margin. Underside pale grey-brown, with the base dusted with blue, the ocelli but little prominent and those near the margin of the hindwing very weak. Female at once recognized by the dentate anal portion of the outer margin. From Central and South Germany, Switzerland and South France throughout South-East Europe and Asia Minor to Syria and Kurdistan. – ab. ''limbopunctata'' Schulz are males with black marginal spots on the upperside. ab. ''steeveni'' Trk. (81 a) are strongly darkened females, which have a very wide distribution among ordinary specimens, but are more frequently found in the East, in Greece, Asia Minor, etc. – ''versicolor'' Ruhl-Heyne is a form from Mesopotamia with the upperside very light blue and the marginal spots of the underside entirely obsolete. – ''ignorata'' Stgr. P. d. versicolor (Rühl, 1895)81 a), from Akbes in the south-western Taurus, is very peculiar as regards colour; the upperside of the female is traversed by many shadowy streaks situated on the veins; the hindwing of the male is likewise dentate in the anal portion, while in the female the teeth are so strong that they form 2–3 short tails. – Larva green with yellow swellings; spiracles black. Until June on ''Thymus'', ''Orobus'', ''Astragalus'', and ''Coronilla''. The butterflies in July and August; they are partial to limestone soil and occur singly in hot valleys, more in the hills and plains than in the mountains; on meadow-flowers, singly.

Biology

It is a

univoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

species. The butterflies fly from June to August. The larvae feed on

horseshoe vetch ''Hippocrepis comosa'', the horseshoe vetch, is a species of perennial flowering plant belonging to the genus '' Hippocrepis'' in the family Fabaceae. Description The overall appearance depends on its habitat: sometimes it forms upright clump ...

sainfoin __NOTOC__ ''Onobrychis'', the sainfoins, are a genus of Eurasian perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plants of the legume family (Fabaceae). About 206 species are presently accepted. The Flora Europaea lists 23 species of ''Onobrychis''; the m ...

and ''

Securigera varia ''Securigera varia'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Coronilla varia''), commonly known as crownvetch or purple crown vetch, is a low-growing legume vine. It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and is commonly used throughout the United States an ...

''. Larvae are attended by ants (''

Lasius alienus ''Lasius alienus'', or cornfield ant, is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae (family Formicidae). Workers have a length of about 2–4 mm, Queens are larger (7–9 mm). Distribution They live in Europe, from Spain to the Cauca ...

'', ''

Formica pratensis ''Formica pratensis'', the black-backed meadow ant, is a species of European red wood ant in the family Formicidae. Systematic ''Formica pratensis'' is divided into these subspecies: *''Formica pratensis nuda'' Ruzsky, 1926 *''Formica pratensi ...

'', '' Tapinoma erraticum'').Paolo Mazzei, Daniel Morel, Raniero Panfil
Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
/ref>

Etymology

Named in the

Classical tradition The Western classical tradition is the reception of classical Greco-Roman antiquity by later cultures, especially the post-classical West, involving texts, imagery, objects, ideas, institutions, monuments, architecture, cultural artifacts, ritu ...

. In Greek mythology,

Meleager In Greek mythology, Meleager (, ) was a hero venerated in his '' temenos'' at Calydon in Aetolia. He was already famed as the host of the Calydonian boar hunt in the epic tradition that was reworked by Homer. Meleager is also mentioned as o ...

was a hero venerated in his temenos at Calydon in Aetolia. Daphne a minor figure, is a

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; ), sometimes also hydriads, are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who embodied ...

. Alternatively

Daphnis In Greek mythology, Daphnis (; , from , ''daphne'', "Bay Laurel") was a legendary Sicilian cowherd who was said to be the inventor of pastoral poetry. According to Diodorus the Sicilian (1st century BC), Daphnis was born in the Heraean Mountai ...

in Greek mythology is a shepherd poet.

Gallery

File:Polyommatus daphnis - Meleager's blue 03.jpg, Mating pair File: Meleager's Blue (Polyommatus daphnis).jpg, Female, upperface File:Meleageria daphinis.jpg, Female, underface File: Polyommatus daphnis.female.jpg, Mounted specimen, female

Bibliography

* LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Beccaloni G.W., Scoble M.J., Robinson G.S. & Pitkin B. * Tom Tolman et Richard Lewington, Guide des papillons d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord, Delachaux et Niestlé, 1997 () * Otakar Kudrna: The distribution atlas of European butterflies. In: oedippus. Band 20. Apollo Books, Stenstrup Danmark 2002, , S. 258. * Chris A. M. van Swaay & Martin S. Warren: Red Data Book of European Butterflies (Rhopalocera), Nature and Environment, No. 99, Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, 1999

References

External links

Lepiforum.de

{{Taxonbar, from=Q143621 Polyommatus Butterflies of Europe Butterflies of Asia Butterflies described in 1775