Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 20.xii.2023

Lysandra bellargus / Adonis Blue
Flatrablujta bukuroshe
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Lysandra bellargus (Rottemburg, 1775). TL: Germany.

1a. Lysandra bellargus, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Lysandra bellargus ♂ upperside. Skenderbej, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Lysandra bellargus copula. Bulgaria (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Lysandra bellargus ♂ underside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Lysandra bellargus ♂ upperside. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Lysandra bellargus on charcoil. Romania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1g. Lysandra bellargus ♀. France (© Morten Mølgaard)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-17 mm.
Ups: sky blue, very narrow black marginal border, fringes distinctly white-black chequered.
Upf: unmarked.
Uph: small black antemarginal spots.
Uns: light grey-brown gc, complete standard markings.
Unh: blue-green basal flush.
♀♀
Similar size.
Ups: brown gc, blue suffusion not rare, rarely extensive.
Upf and uph: conspicuous orange submarginal lunules.
Uns: darker brown gc, similar markings as ♂♂, big orange submarginal lunules, blue basal flush reduced or absent.

Similar species

Other Polyommatus: no checkered fringes. Lysandra coridon Size: similar. checkered fringes. Ups: ♂♂ pale silvery blue gc. Upf: ♂♂ 2-3 mm marginal border. Ups: ♀♀ brown gc but blue forms exist. Unf: cell-spot. Unf: ♂♂ pale grey gc. Unf: ♀♀ brown gc. Unh: sm lunules small, often pale orange.

Life cycle
Adults: two generations from April to October.
Egg: 7-28 days.
Caterpillar: 6 weeks in summer, overwintering generation as L1 or L2 larva (30-34 weeks)
Pupa: 11-19 days.

Habitat
Lysandra bellargus inhabits dry, sunexposed grassland with scattered bushes on limestone slopes from lowland up to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed mainly on Hippocrepis comosa, also documented are Genista sp., Lotus corniculatus and Securigera varia.
Butterflies feed on all kinds of flowers, in spring often on flowers of their own hostplant, in late summer often on Eryngium sp.

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, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Lysandra bellargus 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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