Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Glaucopsyche alexis / Green-underside Blue
Aleksja
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Glaucopsyche alexis (Poda, 1761). TL: Graz, Austria.

1a. Glaucopsyche alexis, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Glaucopsyche alexis ♂ underside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Glaucopsyche alexis copula. Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)
1d. Glaucopsyche alexis ♂ upperside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 13-18 mm.
Ups: sky blue gc, broad black marginal border, unmarked.
Uns: pale grey gc, no marginal markings.
Unh: green-blue basas flush, variable series of small postdiscal spots.
♀♀
Similar size.
Ups: brown gc, rarely blue basal flush.
Otherwise similar as ♂♂.

Similar species

Cyaniris semiargus Upf: black veins. Upf: ill-defined 1-2 mm large marginal band. Uph: black veins. Unf: grey or brownish grey gc. Unf & unh: round dots, same size. Unh: slightly displaced spot in s6. Unh: grey or brownish grey gc. Cupido osiris Size: 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. Compare also: Iolana iolas

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from April to early July.
Egg: 3-8 days.
Caterpillar: 16-30 days.
Pupa: overwintering in the litter layer.

Habitat
Glaucopsyche alexis inhabits flowery grasslands with scattered shrubs on slopes from lowland up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density rather low.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on different Fabaceae: Astragalus sp., Colutea arborescens, Genista sp., Lathyrus sp., Lotus sp., Medicago sp., Melilotus sp., Onobrychis sp., Securigera varia and Vicia sp.
Butterflies feed mostly on flowers that are foodplants of the caterpillars.

Distribution
Albania: widespread but local.
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
Glaucopsyche alexis is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: VU.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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