Ripart's anomalous blue (''Polyommatus ripartii'') 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 in Southern Europe,

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and the

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and the

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, South-West

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, the

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and

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. Flies in high summer, July to August in hot dry grassy places and slopes with flowers It now includes the former ''Agrodiaetus galloi'' (Italy), ''Agrodiaetus exuberans'' (Italy), and ''Agrodiaetus agenjoi'' (Spain), which used to be considered endemic species with highly restricted distribution ranges, but were then shown to be local populations of ''P. ripartii''. It is very similar to ''

Polyommatus admetus ''Polyommatus admetus'', the anomalous blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It was described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1783. It is found in south-eastern Europe and Turkey. The wingspan is 30–40 mm. Adults are on wi ...

'' and Seitz regards it as a form of ''admetus'' - ''ripartii'' Frr. (81 f), but has on the hindwing below a white mesial streak which extends from the base to the outer margin. Its Polish population is considered one of the most endangered butterflies in central Europe.

Etymology

The butterfly is named after the French butterfly collector Rippert de Beaugency (1794–1875).Luquet, G. C. & Lévêque, A. (2016): Brèves notes biographiques sur le lépidoptériste Jean François Jules de Rippert (°1794 – † 1875) et précisions sur la localisation de ses prospections près de Beaugency. – ''Alexanor'', 27: 197-207.

References

Gallery

Polyommatus ripartii 1.jpg Polyommatus ripartii 2.jpg Polyommatus ripartii.JPG, mating Polyommatusripartii.jpg, figure from Seitz

External links

Euro Butterflies
images Polyommatus Butterflies of Europe Butterflies of Asia Butterflies described in 1830 {{Lycaenidae-stub