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Polyommatus admetus / Anomalous Blue
Anomalja e madhe
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae
Polyommatus admetus (Esper, [1783]). TL: Hungary.
 
 
 
1a. Polyommatus admetus, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Polyommatus admetus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Polyommatus admetus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Polyommatus admetus ♂ lateral. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Habitat of Polyommatus admetus. Valikardhë, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Polyommatus admetus ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 15-19 mm.
Ups: brown gc.
Upf: conspicuous patch of hairy androconial scales.
Uns: pale brown gc, definite submarginal markings.
Unf: no cell-spot, pale ringed discal line and postdiscal spots, pale brown marginal spots.
Unh: markings usually present as a pattern of sagittate lunules and chevrons, sometimes white wedge-shaped postdiscal mark on v4.
♀♀
Slightly smaller.
Ups: pale brown gc, smooth.
Uph: often obscure marginal lunules near anal area.
Uns: brighter, markings better developed.
Unh: often white wedge-shaped postdiscal mark on v4.
Similar species
The anomalous blues (brown Agrodiaetus) are variable and difficult to distinguish on external characters.
Ups and uns: gc depends on the freshness of the butterflies, a tendency for darker gc in the Polyommatus aroaniensis complex is mentioned.
The presence or absence and intensity of a white streak on the unh is only a trend but not a fully reliable criterium.
COI barcoding is distinctive for Polyommatus admetus, Polyommatus lurae, Polyommatus aroaniensis and Polyommatus ripartii.
Life cycle
Adults: single generation from second half of June to August.
Egg: long stage.
Caterpillar: young larva overwintering in the egg shell.
Pupa: probably short stage.
Habitat
Agrodieatus admetus inhabits warm, dry flowery rocky slopes with scatterd bushes from 300 up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement moderate, population density can be high.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on various Onobrychis sp.
Butterflies feed on a variety of available flowers in the habitat.
Distribution
Albania: local, not recorded from the Northern Albanian Alps.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU*
Asia Minor to S. Transcaucasia.
Conservation status
Polyommatus admetus is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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variable pale reddish brown gc.
no or vestigial sm markings.
absence of white streak (
♂♂ diffuse dark border extended along veins.
♀♀ brown gc with blue scales on thorax and base of the wings.