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Polyommatus eros / Eros Blue
Flatrakaltra e zakonshme e livadheve
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae
Polyommatus eros (Ochsenheimer, 1808). TL: Alps of Tyrol and Switzerland.
 
 
1a. Polyommatus eros, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Polyommatus eros ♂ lateral. Mali i Gramozit, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Polyommatus eros ♂ upperside. Mali i Gramozit. Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1d. Polyommatus eros ♂ underside. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1e. Habitat of Polyommatus eros. N Vermosh, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 15-18 mm.
Ups: gleaming sky blue gc, 2 mm black marginal borders and partly darkened veins.
Uph: round black antemarginal spots fused with black border.
Uns: pale grey-brown gc.
Unf: cell-spot and second basal spot, usual markings.
Unh: reduced white flash on v4 beyond postdiscal spot, angular black marking of the orange submarginal lunules.
♀♀
Similar size.
Ups: brown gc, diffuse blue basal scales also on thorax.
Uph: variable orange submarginal lunules, antemarginal black spots and pale grey scales till the small black marginal line.
Uns: slightly darker grey brown gc, stronger markings.
Unf: cell-spot and second basal spot.
Unh: reduced white flash on v4 beyond postdiscal spot, angular black marking of the orange submarginal lunules.
Similar species
Compare Polyommatus icarus and Aricia anteros.
Typical for Polyommatus eros are:
Upf:  ♂♂ 2 mm wide black marginal border.
Ups:  ♂♂ gleaming sky blue gc.
Upf:  ♂♂ androconia absent, no discal spot.
Upf:  ♀♀ discal dot.
Upf: ♀♀ dark brown gc, limited basal blue suffusion.
Unf: cell-spot.
Unh: black pd spot in s6 not displaced.
Unh: regular bright orange sm lunules.
Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to August.
Egg: probably short stage.
Caterpillar: probably overwintering.
Pupa: probably short stage.
Habitat
Polyommatus eros inhabits open flowery mountain grasslands especially around and above timberline from 750 up to 2250 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Astragalus sp., Chamaecytisus sp., Genista sp., Lotus corniculatus, Onobrychis montana and Oxytropis sp.
Butteflies are feeding on a variety of available flowers in the habitat.
Distribution
Albania: local in the mountains.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB* - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU* (complex eros-eroides)
Disjunct populataitons in Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east. Different subspecies described, status unclear.
Conservation status
Polyommatus eros is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: VU.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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