Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Cyaniris semiargus / Mazarine Blue
Kaltëroshja vjollcë e pyllit
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Cyaniris semiargus (Rottemburg, 1775) TL: Saxony, Germany.

1a. Cyaniris semiargus, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Cyaniris semiargus ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Cyaniris semiargus ♂ underside. Mali i Kallabukit, Albania (© Anila Paparisto)
1d. Cyaniris semiargus ♂ upper right butterfly, mud-puddling. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Cyaniris semiargus ♂ undesdie. Gjirokaster, Albania (© Anila Paparisto)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-17 mm.
Ups: blue-violet gc, relatively broad marginal black border with faint diffusion along the veins.
Uns: pale grey-brown gc, blue basal flush.
Unf: no cell-spot, discal spot and postdiscal spots well marked, no marginal markings.
Unh: discal spot, postdiscal spots very similar to Unf, additional basal spot in s7, vague marginal markings sometimes present.
♀♀
Similar size.
Ups: brown gc, unmarked.
Uns: slightly darker grey-brown gc, otherwise similar as ♂♂.

Similar species

Cupido osiris Size:slightly smaller. Upf: no black veins. Upf: narrow black marginal border. Uph: no black veins. Unf: light grey gc. Unf & unh: slightly elongated spots, same size. Unh: displaced pd spot in s6. Unh: blue basal suffusion. Unh: light grey gc. Glaucospyche alexis Size:slightly larger. Upf: ♂♂ blue gc, no black veins. Upf: ♀♀ variable basal blue gc. Ups: 1-2 mm wide marginal border Uph: ♂♂ blue gc. Unf: light grey gc. Unf & unh: versus different size of spots. Unh: pd spot in s6 placed in line s5 - s7. Unh: large blue suffusion.

Life cycle
Adults: one (high altitude) up to three generations (lowland) from end-April to mid-August.
Egg: 3-6 days.
Caterpillar: 4 weeks in summer, overwintering as L3 larva in the litter layer (29-43 weeks)
Pupa: 11-17 days.

Habitat
Cyaniris semiargus inhabits as well dry calcareous grassland in rocky slopes as in wet flowery areas and forest edges from lowland up to 2200 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement is modest, population density often high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Trifolium pratense, also mentioned are: Armeria sp., Anthyllis sp., Genista tinctoria, Lotus corniculatus, Onobrychis viciifolia, Securigera varia and other Trifolium sp., also mentioned is Melilotus officinalis.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers, mud-puddling and on excrements.

Distribution
Albania: widespread in the mountains.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

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

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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