Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Lampides boeticus / Long-tailed Blue
Trupgjata vjollcë-blu
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767). TL: Algeria.

1a. Lampides boeticus, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Lampides boeticus hindwing detail. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Lampides boeticus ♀ with birth defect. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Lampides boeticus ♀ upperside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Lampides boeticus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Lampides boeticus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 15-18 mm.
Ups: blue violet gc with hairy appearance (androconia), narrow marginal border.
Hw: tailed at v2, black ocellus in s2.
Uns: fawn-brown gc.
Unh: conspicuous white postdiscal band with numerous regular and narrow lines, peacock-green ocelli in s1c and s2.
♀♀
Ups: brown gc, basal and discal areas variable blue violet suffusion.
Unh: similar as ♂♂.

Similar species

Leptotes pirithous Size: smaller butterfly. Hw: long tail. Upf: ♀♀ blue basal flush with dark discal and pd spots. Uph: ♀♀ dark round marginal spot in s2. Unf: complicated grey-brown pattern. Unf: pale transverse stripes. Unh: no conspicuous white postdiscal band Unh: complicated grey-brown pattern.   Compare also: Cupido alcetas Cupido argiades Cupido decoloratus Size: smaller. Uns: no pattern and pale sliver-grey gc. Hw: short tail.

Life cycle
Adults: continuous generations (4-5) from late March to October.
Egg: potential overwintering stage attached to a twig (12 weeks), otherwise short (4-7 days)
Caterpillar: 14-25 days.
Pupa: 10-18 days.

Habitat
Lampides boeticus inhabits warm, dry flowery banks and cultivated fields mainly in the lowland but can be found migrating up to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement high, population density can be high, migrating.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on a large variety of Fabaceae, mainly Colutea arborescens.
Butterflies feed on all kind of flowers.

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

Conservation status
Lampides boeticus 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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