Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Aricia artaxerxes / Mountain Argus
Flatrakafejta verlore
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Aricia artaxerxes (Fabricius, 1793). TL: Scotland.

1a. Aricia artaxerxes, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Aricia artaxerxes ♂ upperside. Vallikardhë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Aricia artaxerxes ♀ underside. Greece (© Lazaros Pamperis)
1d. Aricia artaxerxes ♂ underside. Vallikardhë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 12-14 mm.
Ups: dark brown gc.
Fw: narrow, pointed apex.
Upf: with reduced series, less developed or even absent orange lunules.
Unf: reduced series of less developed orange lunules, sometimes absent.
Uns: pale grey-brown gc.
Unf: no cellular spot, white ringed dsical and postdiscal spots.
Unh: postdiscal spot in s6 displaced towards the base, white mark on v4 often conspicuous.
♀♀
Sligthly larger.
Fw: rounder apex.
Similar as ♂♂.

Similar species

Aricia have a postdiscal spot in s6 that is clearly displaced to the base.
This is useful to check versus similar looking Polyommatinae (e.g. Polyommatus icarus ♀♀)

Aricia agestis No reliable constant distinctive character. If possible check a number of specimens. Genitalia are discriminating. Fw: slightly rounded costa + apex. Upf: complete series of orange lunules (even more in ♀♀). Upf: discal dot. Upf: brown gc. Uph: complete series of orange lunules (even more in ♀♀). Uph: orange lunules bordered by black dots. Unf: no cell-spot. Unh: displaced pd spot in s6. Uns: grey brown gc (in spring often grey) Aricia anteros Ups: fainter orange lunules. Upf: ♂♂ gleaming pale blue gc. Upf: ♂♂ and ♀♀ discal dot. Upf: ♀♀ black marginal dots. Uph: pale grey lines along black marginal spots. Unf: no cell-spot. Uns: yellowish-brown gc.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to end-August.
Egg: probably short stage.
Caterpillar: probably overwintering as young larva and feeding again in spring.
Pupa: probably short stage.

Habitat
Aricia artaxerxes inhabits warm rocky flowering meadows in calcareous mountains from 600 up to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high, nomadic.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Helianthemum nummularium and Geranium sp., also mentioned is Helianthemum oelandicum.
Butterflies feed on a variety of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: widespread in the Northern Albanian Alps, local in other mountain areas.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE* - UK* - SCA - EEU (Sibling species Aricia montensis in IB)
Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Aricia artaxerxes is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

Contact