''Polyommatus nephohiptamenos'', or Higgins's anomalous 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 ...

described by J. Brown and John G. Coutsis in 1978. It has an

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

status of

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

Description

The Higgins's anomalous blue (''Polyommatus nephohiptamenos'') is in the family

. It was described by Brown and Coutsis in 1978. ''Polyommatus nephohiptamenos'' was thought to possibly be a subspecies or form of '' Polyommatus ripartii'', Ripart's anomalous blue. A 2016 paper confirmed that it was a distinct species based on distinct COI mitochondrial DNA barcodes and ecological differentiation. The fringes of the male are whiter than with ''P. ripartii''.

Habitat

''P. nephohiptamenos'' is endemic to Europe, found only in mountains of northern Greece and occasionally of southern Bulgaria. It is found in a small area at higher altitudes of the Phalakron Massif in Greece and Bulgaria. It has a dot-like distribution range. It has been found on Mount Pangeon and Mount Phalakro in Greece, and Mount Orvilos on the border between Greece and Bulgaria, and Mount Alibotush and Kitka Planina in Bulgaria. It is probably limited to less than 10 locations within an area of occupancy under . It is usually found above the tree line, mostly between in

calcareous grassland Calcareous grassland (or alkaline grassland) is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. There are large areas of calcareous grassland in northwestern Europe, particularly areas of southern Engla ...

s with many flowers.

Life cycle

''P. nephohiptamenos'' has one generation per year. It feeds on the perennial sainfoin ''

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

'' ssp. ''scardica'', which is endemic 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 ...

. The caterpillars hibernate while still small, and feed on the new leaves of the sainfoin the next spring. The butterfly flies in mid-July and August. The butterfly may be threatened by intensified grazing, abandonment and wildfires. It has an

status of

Notes

Sources

* * * ninae Butterflies described in 1978 {{Polyommatini-stub