Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Kretania sephirus / Zephyr Blue
Zefiri blue
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Kretania sephirus (Frivaldszky, 1835). TL: Slivno, Bulgaria.

1a. Kretania sephirus, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Kretania sephirus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Kretania sephirus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Kretania sephirus ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Kretania sephirus ♂ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Kretania sephirus ♂ upperside. Mali i Roshit, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small buttefly. Fw: 14-17 mm.
Ups: clear violet blue gc, narrow black marginal border.
Upf: unmarked.
Uph: black antemarginal spot in s2 and often also in s1b, s3 and s4.
Uns: grey to pale grey-brown gc.
Unf: no cell-spot.
Unh: prominent orange submarginal spots (mostly not fused to a band) bordered proximally with black v-shaped marks, black submarginal spots lacking blue-green pupils (very rarely one or two blue pupils)
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Ups: brown gc and orange submarginal lunules.
Uph:submarginal lunules with black antemarginal spot and bordered marginally with some pale blue scales.
Uns: similar as ♂♂.

Similar species

Plebejus argus, P. argyrognomon and P. idas Unh: black sm spots with blue-green pupils. !!! rarely one or two blue pupils in K. sephirus. Plebejus argus Size: smaller. Foreleg: strong spine on fore-tibia. Ups: wide blackmarginal border. Uph: black along the costa. Unf: reduced or faint pale orange sm lunules in a rather regular band. Unh: black sm spots with blue-green pupils. Plebejus argyrognomon Size: similar. Upf: small black marginal border. Uph: ♂♂ distinct separated points. Uns: uniform gc. ♂♂ with bluish tint. Unf: complete pale orange submarginal band. Unh: gently curved black V-marks. Unh: black sm spots with blue-green pupils. Plebejus idas Size: slightly smaller butterfly. Ups: slightly larger black marginal border. Uph: blue along the costa. Uph: ♂♂ row of contiguous triangular spots. Unf: complete pale orange submarginal band. Unh: sagittate black V-marks. Unh: black sm spots with blue-green pupils.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from May to August (high altitude)
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering as half full-grown larva.
Pupa: probably short.

Habitat
Kretania sephirus inhabits dry warm grassland with abundant foodplants from 500 m up to over 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement low, population density can be high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on different Astragalus sp.
Butterflies actively nectaring on low 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* (different sibling species: K. hesperica and K. pylaon)
Asia Minor and Caucasus.

Conservation status
Kretania sephirus is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC (as P. pylaon)

Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

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