Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 18.ix.2023

Polyommatus (aroaniensis) lurae / Lura's Anomalous Blue
Luranja
Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae

Polyommatus lurae Parmentier, Vila & Lukhtanov, 2022. TL: Lurë region.

1a. Polyommatus lurae, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Polyommatus lurae copula. Lurë region, Albania (© Laurian Parmentier)
1c. Habitat of Polyommatus lurae. Lurë region, Albania (© Laurian Parmentier)
1d. Polyommatus lurae ♂ lateral. Lurë region, Albania (© Laurian Parmentier)
1e. Polyommatus lurae underside. Lurë region, Albania (© Laurian Parmentier)

Description
♂♂
Small butterfly. Fw: 14-18 mm.
Ups: brown gc, unmarked.
Upf: conspicuous patch of hairy androconial scales.
Uns: brown gc, no submarginal markings.
Unf: no white postdiscal streak between discal spot and submarginal marking.
Unh: white streak on hindwing under­side is lacking (in a short series of sampled specimens)
♀♀
Slightly smaller.
Ups: brown gc, unmarked.
Otherwise similar as ♂♂.

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 (aroaniensis) orphicus, Polyommatus (aroaniensis) aroaniensis and Polyommatus ripartii.

Polyommatus admetus Uph: ♀♀ obscure orange marginal markings. Uns: pale brown-grey gc. Uns: dark brown sagittate sm lunules and chevrons.Polyommatus aroaniensis complex: Polyommatus orphicus Uns: 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) Polyommatus damon Ups: ♂♂ pale shining blue gc. Ups: ♂♂ diffuse dark border extended along veins. Ups: ♀♀ brown gc with blue scales on thorax and base of the wings. Uns: ♂♂ yellow grey gc, unh slightly darker. Uns: ♀♀ café-au-lait gc. Uns: no sm markings. Unf: strong white-ringed pd spots. Unh: firm white streak from base along v4.

Life cycle
Adults: probably single generation.
Egg: probably long stage.
Caterpillar: probably hibernating in the egg or as young larva.
Pupa: probably short stage.

Habitat
Polyommatus lurae inhabits stony slopes on ophiolitic substrate surrounded by bushes or trees from 900 up to 1500 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density modest.

Foodplants
Caterpillars probably feed on Onobrychis alba.
Butterflies are feeding on a variety of available flowers in the habitat.

Distribution
Albania: very local (more research needed)
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
For the moment, only recorded from Albania in two counties (Dibër and Korçë)

Conservation status
Polyommatus lurae is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: DD.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: NA.

Useful links
(url) Parmentier L., Vila R. & Lukhtanov V. 2022. Integrative analysis reveals cryptic speciation linked to habitat differentiation within Albanian populations of the anomalous blues (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Polyommatus Latreille, 1804) – Comparative Cytogenetics 16(4): 211-242.2022.
(url) Cuvelier S., Parmentier L., Qirinxhki X. & Paparisto A. 2023. Butterflies of Albania new data and going online. Fluturatat e Shqipërisë të dhëna të reja dhe faqja online (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) — Buletini i Shkencave te Natyres, Tirana university. 32(2022): 5-31.
(url) Cuvelier S. 2023. Albania, a country with unexpected, intraspecific genetic variability in butterflies (Papilionoidea: Nymphalidae & Lycaenidae). Balancing on a tightrope between species, subspecies, ESU's and haplotypes. — Lépidoptères 32(82): 32-40.

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