Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 14.iv.2024

Polyommatus escheri / Escher's Blue
Esheria
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Polyommatus escheri (Hübner, [1823]). TL: Var, S. France.

1a. Polyommatus escheri, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Polyommatus escheri ♂ lateral. Greece (© Lazaros Pamperis)
1c. Polyommatus escheri ♀ lateral. Greece (© Lazaros Pamperis)
1d. Polyommatus escheri ♂ lateral. Greece (© Lazaros Pamperis)
1e. Polyommatus escheri left, ♂ mud puddling. Greece (© Lazaros Pamperis)

Description
♂♂
Small to medium-size butterfly. Fw: 17-20 mm.
Fw: slightly wavy outer margin, unchequered fringes.
Hw: no wavy outer margin, vestigial chequered fringes.
Ups: pale sky blue gc. irregular 1-2 mm wide black marginal border.
Uns: pale grey gc, standard markings.
Unf: no cell-spot.
Unh: blue basal suffusion.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Fw: dark fringes.
Ups: brown gc, series of orange submarginal lunules on fw (rarely absent) and hw.
Uph: rarely basal blue scaling.
Uns: brown gc, similar but stronger markings as ♂♂.
Unf: no cell-spot.

Similar species
Check other Polyommatus.

Typical for Polyommatus escheri are:
Upf: ♂♂ paler costa and veins.
Upf: ♂♂ 1-2 mm black marginal border, slightly extending along the veins.
Upf: ♀♀ large orange sm lunules enclosing black dots on hw.
Fw: ♂♂ slightly wavy outer margin.
Fw: ♀♀ brown fringes.
Uph: ♂♂ black marginal spots touching the black margin with half chequered fringes.
Uns: ♂♂ nearly white gc.
Uns: ♀♀ brown gc.
Unf: large black pd spots.
Unf: no cell-spot.
Unh: small black pd spots.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from end May to August.
Egg: short stage.
Caterpillar: overwintering as young larva.
Pupa: short stage.

Habitat
Polyommatus escheri inhabits hot, dry rocky slopes from 500 up to 1750 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density low.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Astragalus angustifolius, Astragalus exscapus and Astragalus monspessulanus.
Butterflies are feeding on a variety of available flowers in the habitat.

Distribution
Albania: local.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE - UK - SCA - EEU
Balkan is the eastern limit.

Conservation status
Polyommatus escheri 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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