Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Polyommatus damon / Damon Blue
Kaltëroshja e gjelbërt
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Polyommatus damon (Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775). TL: Vienna.

1a. Polyommatus damon, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Polyommatus damon ♀ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Polyommatus damon ♂ underside on Mentha spicata. Pas Deja Mt., Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)
1d. Polyommatus damon ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Polyommatus damon ♂ underside. Mali i Roshkit, Albania Mali i Roshkit (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 15-17 mm.
Ups: pale shining blue, wide fuscous marginal band extending on dark veins.
Upf: no sex-brand.
Unf: yellow-grey gc, quite strong white ringed discal line and postdiscal dark spots.
Uhn: slightly more brownish, firm white streak on v4 from base nearly till the margin, small or absent basal and postdiscal markings.
♀♀
Slightly smaller.
Ups: brown gc, often blue basal scales and on thorax.
Uns: café-au-lait gc, similar marking as ♂♂.

Similar species

The anomalous blues (brown Agrodiaetus) are variable and difficult to distinguish on external characters.
As the female of Polyommatus damon resembles ♀♀ of the anomalous blues, attention is needed for a reliable identification.

Polyommatus admetus Uph: ♀♀ obscure orange marginal markings. Uns: pale brown-grey gc. Uns: dark brown sagittate sm lunules and chevrons. Polyommatus aroaniensis complex: Polyommatus lurae and Polyommatus orphicus Uns gc and absence of white streak are variable. Uns: to variable pale reddish brown gc. Uns: no or vestigial sm markings. Unh: absence of white streak (!!! variable) Polyommatus ripartii Uns: pale yellow-grey gc. Uns: no or vestigial sm markings. Uns: presence of white streak (!!! variable)

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from July to early September.
Egg: long stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering as young larva in egg.
Pupa: 26-30 days.

Habitat
Agrodiaetus damon inhabits dry, warm rocky calcareous flowery grasslands with scattered bushes from 750 up to 2000 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: 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
Local in Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Polyommatus damon 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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