Common Blue
Encyclopedia
The Common Blue is a small butterfly
in the family Lycaenidae
, widespread over much of the Palaearctic. Recently, Polyommatus icarus was discovered in Mirabel, Quebec
, Canada by Ara Sarafian, an amateur entomologist who observed the butterfly from 2005 to 2008. He contacted the Canadian National Collection of Insects in Ottawa where the butterfly was identified as P. icarus, a new alien butterfly to Canada and to North America. The butterfly seems to be well established and is extending its range from year to year (Source: http://www.entsocont.com/Newsletter_Dec_2007.pdf).
The larva feeds on Leguminosae. Recorded foodplants are Lathyrus
spp., Vicia
spp., Vicia cracca, Oxytropis campestris
, Lotus corniculatus
, Trifolium pratense, Oxytropis pyrenaica, Astragalus aristatus, Astragalus onobrychis , Astragalus pinetorum, Medicago romanica, Medicago falcata
and Trifolium repens.
and Scotland
, are mostly blue but always have the red spots. Undersides have a greyish ground colour in the males and more brownish in the females. Both sexes have a row of red spots along the edge of the hindwings (extending onto the forewings though generally fainter, particularly in the males where they are sometimes missing altogether). There are about a dozen black centered white spots on the hind wings, nine on the forwings. The white fringe on the outer edge of the wings is not crossed with black lines as it is in the Chalkhill
and Adonis Blue
s, an important difference when separating these species, particularly the females.
It is Britain's (and probably Europe's) most common and most widespread blue, found as far north as Orkney and on most of the Outer Hebrides
. Males are often very obvious as they defend territories against rivals and search out the more reclusive females. A range of grassland habitats are used: meadows, coastal dunes, woodland clearings and also many man made habitats, anywhere where their food plants are found.
(Lotus corniculatus). Others used include Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Common Restharrow
(Ononis repens), White Clover
(Trifolium repens) and Lesser Trefoil (Trifolium dubium). Eggs are laid singly on young shoots of the food plant.
The caterpillar
is small, pale green with yellow stripes and as usual with lycid larvae rather slug
-like. Hibernation
occurs as a half grown larvae. They are attractive to ants but not as much as some other species of blues. The chrysalis is olive green/brown and formed on the ground where it is attended by ants which will often take it into their nests. The larvae creates a substance called honey dew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. In the south of Britain
there are two broods a year flying in May and June and again in August and September. Northern England has one brood flying between June and September. In a long warm year there is sometimes a partial third brood in the south flying into October.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the family Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
, widespread over much of the Palaearctic. Recently, Polyommatus icarus was discovered in Mirabel, Quebec
Mirabel, Quebec
Mirabel is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is an off-island suburb north-west of Montreal.Mirabel is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality and census division of Quebec, coextensive with the city of Mirabel. Its geographical code is 74.Mirabel's population was...
, Canada by Ara Sarafian, an amateur entomologist who observed the butterfly from 2005 to 2008. He contacted the Canadian National Collection of Insects in Ottawa where the butterfly was identified as P. icarus, a new alien butterfly to Canada and to North America. The butterfly seems to be well established and is extending its range from year to year (Source: http://www.entsocont.com/Newsletter_Dec_2007.pdf).
The larva feeds on Leguminosae. Recorded foodplants are Lathyrus
Lathyrus
Lathyrus is a genus of flowering plant species known as sweet peas and vetchlings. Lathyrus is in the legume family Fabaceae and contains approximately 160 species. They are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 species in North America, 78 in Asia, 24 in...
spp., Vicia
Vicia
Vicia is a genus of about 140 species of flowering plants commonly known as vetches. It is in the legume family . Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other genera of their subfamily Faboideae also have names containing "vetch", for example the...
spp., Vicia cracca, Oxytropis campestris
Oxytropis campestris
Oxytropis campestris is a plant native to the Northwestern United States and all Canada, sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.It is found in prairies, woods, and meadows, and prefers gravelly and rocky slopes, where it grows most abundantly. The plant has numerous...
, Lotus corniculatus
Lotus corniculatus
Lotus corniculatus is a common flowering plant native to grassland temperate Eurasia and North Africa. The common name is Bird's-foot Trefoil , though the common name is often also applied to other members of the genus...
, Trifolium pratense, Oxytropis pyrenaica, Astragalus aristatus, Astragalus onobrychis , Astragalus pinetorum, Medicago romanica, Medicago falcata
Medicago falcata
Medicago falcata is a plant species of the genus Medicago. It is native to the Mediterranean basin, but is found throughout the world. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, which is capable of nitrogen fixation...
and Trifolium repens.
Subspecies
- P. i. mariscolore (KaneWilliam Francis de Vismes KaneWilliam Francis de Vismes Kane.Esq was an Irish entomologistBorn in Exmouth, Devon Kane lived at Drumreaske Housein Monaghan. His mother was French....
, 1893) Ireland - P. i. fuchsi (Sheljuzhko, 1928) South Siberia, Transbaikalia
- P. i. omelkoi Dubatolov & Korshunov, 1995 Amur, Ussuri
- P. i. ammosovi (Kurenzov, 1970) Central Yakutia, Far East, Kamchatka
- P. i. fugitiva (ButlerArthur Gardiner ButlerArthur Gardiner Butler was an English entomologist, arachnologist and ornithologist...
, 1881) Pakistan - P. i. napaea (Grum-GrshimailoGrigory Grumm-GrzhimayloGrigory Yefimovich Grumm-Grzhimaylo was a Russian entomologist, best known for his expeditions to Central Asia , West Mongolia and Tuva, and the Russian Far East.-Life and work:...
, 1891) Tian-Shan,
Appearance, behaviour and distribution
Male uppersides are an iridescent lilac blue with a thin black border. Females are brown with a row of red spots along the edges. They usually have some blue at the base of the wings and, especially in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, are mostly blue but always have the red spots. Undersides have a greyish ground colour in the males and more brownish in the females. Both sexes have a row of red spots along the edge of the hindwings (extending onto the forewings though generally fainter, particularly in the males where they are sometimes missing altogether). There are about a dozen black centered white spots on the hind wings, nine on the forwings. The white fringe on the outer edge of the wings is not crossed with black lines as it is in the Chalkhill
Chalkhill Blue
The Chalkhill Blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.Males have pale silvery-blue wings with black and white border . Females are dark brown, also with the black and white borders...
and Adonis Blue
Adonis Blue
The Adonis Blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.-Habitat:The preferred habitat of the adonis blue is calcareous grasslands with hot and dry conditions.-Species decline:...
s, an important difference when separating these species, particularly the females.
It is Britain's (and probably Europe's) most common and most widespread blue, found as far north as Orkney and on most of the Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
. Males are often very obvious as they defend territories against rivals and search out the more reclusive females. A range of grassland habitats are used: meadows, coastal dunes, woodland clearings and also many man made habitats, anywhere where their food plants are found.
Lifecycle and food plants
The main food plant on most sites is Bird's foot trefoilLotus corniculatus
Lotus corniculatus is a common flowering plant native to grassland temperate Eurasia and North Africa. The common name is Bird's-foot Trefoil , though the common name is often also applied to other members of the genus...
(Lotus corniculatus). Others used include Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Common Restharrow
Ononis repens
Ononis repens or Common Restharrow is a plant species of the genus Ononis. It is found by the shore and is also common in dry hill pastures in chalk or limestone areas. It is a prostrate woody perennial with small oval leaves. The leaves are covered in glandular hairs which give a resinous smell on...
(Ononis repens), White Clover
White clover
Trifolium repens, the white clover , is a species of clover native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia...
(Trifolium repens) and Lesser Trefoil (Trifolium dubium). Eggs are laid singly on young shoots of the food plant.
The caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
is small, pale green with yellow stripes and as usual with lycid larvae rather slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
-like. Hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
occurs as a half grown larvae. They are attractive to ants but not as much as some other species of blues. The chrysalis is olive green/brown and formed on the ground where it is attended by ants which will often take it into their nests. The larvae creates a substance called honey dew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. In the south of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
there are two broods a year flying in May and June and again in August and September. Northern England has one brood flying between June and September. In a long warm year there is sometimes a partial third brood in the south flying into October.
Gallery
Lifestyle- Diet, caterpillars: leaves of plants.
- Diet, Butterflies: wildflower nectar, excrement.
- Lifespan: 3 weeks as butterfly.