Northern Brown Argus
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The northern brown argus (''Aricia artaxerxes'') 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 ...
in 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 ...
. It is found throughout much of the
Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is a biogeographic realm of the Earth, the largest of eight. Confined almost entirely to the Eastern Hemisphere, it stretches across Europe and Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The ...
.


Subspecies

*''A. a. allous'' (Geyer,
836 __NOTOC__ Year 836 ( DCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 836th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 836th year of the 1st millennium, the 36th year of the 9th century, and th ...
Alps, northern Europe *''A. a. hakutozana'' (Matsumura, 1927) North Korea *''A. a. horkei'' Høegh-Guldberg, 1973 Öland & Gotland, Sweden *''A. a. inhonora'' Jachontov, 1909 "Rossia ussiaentrali et orientali" *''A. a. lyngensis'' Høegh-Guldberg, 1966 Scandinavia *''A. a. lepsinskana'' (Obraztsov, 1935) Dzhungarsky Alatau *''A. a. mandzhuriana'' (Obraztsov, 1935) eastern Amur, Ussuri *''A. a. opheimi'' Høegh-Guldberg, 1966 southern Norway *''A. a. rambringi'' Høegh-Guldberg, 1966 Scandinavia *''A. a. sachalinensis'' (Matsumura, 1919) Sakhalin *''A. a. sarmatis'' (Grum-Grshimailo, 1890) southern Urals *''A. a. scytissa'' Nekrutenko, 1985 Tian-Shan *''A. a. sheljuzhkoi'' (Obraztsov, 1935) Caucasus Major *''A. a. strandi'' (Obraztsov, 1935) Altai – western Amur *''A. a. transalaica'' (Obratzov, 1935) Ghissar, Darvaz, Pamirs-Alai, Himalayas *''A. a. turgaica'' (Obraztsov, 1935) south-west Siberia *''A. a. ukrainica'' (Obraztsov, 1936) south-east Europe *''A. a. vandalica'' Kaaber & Høegh-Guldberg, 1961 Jutland, Denmark


Appearance, behaviour and distribution (Great Britain)

This species has confused British entomologists for years. Since its discovery in Britain it has been thought to be a form or a subspecies of the
brown argus ''Aricia agestis'', the brown argus, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic realm, north to northern Jutland (Denmark) and east to Siberia and the Tian Shan. Subspecies *''A. a. agestis'' southern and ce ...
(''Aricia agestis'') and as well as a species in its own right. Since 1967 all brown arguses in the north of England and Scotland have been classified as this species. In the last few years genetic studies have shown that some of the colonies along the border of the two species ranges are still being wrongly classified and some colonies in the north of England are now thought to be ''A. agestis''. So far as is known their ranges do not overlap in the UK. The Scottish form is visually quite distinct from the brown argus. It usually has a small white dot in the centre of the upperside forewing and the black spots on the underside are missing leaving larger white spots on the light brown background. The northern English populations belong to a form called ''salmacis'' (called the Durham argus in English consulted 21 January 2014.) and are very similar to the brown argus including the presence of black spots on the under-wing (see photo) hence all the confusion. In Europe where it is known as the mountain argus, it is widespread in Scandinavia and mountainous regions of central, southern and eastern Europe. The species is considered locally rare in Britain, and the UK has established a detailed Biodiversity Action Plan to conserve this species along with a small number of other butterfly species.


Life cycle and food plants

:''Note that information on this species applies to Great Britain and some details may not be consistent with the species in other parts of its range.'' Eggs are laid singly on the upperside of the food plant leaves. As far is known
common rock-rose ''Helianthemum nummularium'' (known as common rock-rose) is a species of rock-rose (Cistaceae), native to most of Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is borde ...
(''Helianthemum nummularium'') seems to be the sole food plant in Britain. The larvae
hibernate Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is most ...
while still quite small and continue to feed and grow the following spring. Like the brown argus, it is attractive to ants and often attended by them. Pupation takes place at ground level in late May and butterflies are on the wing from mid-June to mid-July.


See also

*
List of butterflies of Great Britain This is a list of butterfly, butterflies of Great Britain, including extinct, naturalised species and those of dubious origin. The list comprises butterfly species listed in ''The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland'' by Emmet ''et a ...
*
Fowlsheugh Fowlsheugh is a coastal nature reserve in Kincardineshire, northeast Scotland, known for its cliff formations and habitat supporting prolific seabird nesting colonies. Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Scottish Natur ...


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1549031 Aricia (butterfly) Butterflies of Europe Butterflies described in 1775