Lampides boeticus
Encyclopedia
The Peablue, Pea Blue, or Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) is a small butterfly
found in Europe
, Africa
, South
and Southeast Asia
, and Australia
that belongs to the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged
family.
The wingspan
is 24-32 mm for males and 24-34 mm for females.
species, including Medicago
, Crotalaria
, Polygala
, Sutherlandia, Dolichos
, Cytisus
, Spartium and Lathyrus
species. It has also been recorded on Crotolaria pallida
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...
found in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, South
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
that belongs to the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 24-32 mm for males and 24-34 mm for females.
Foodplants
The flowers, seeds and pods of many FabaceaeFabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
species, including Medicago
Medicago
Medicago is a genus of flowering plants, commonly known as medick or burclover. The name is based on Latin medica 'alfalfa, lucerne,' from 'Median .'...
, Crotalaria
Crotalaria
Crotalaria is a genus of herbaceous plants and woody shrubs in the Family Fabaceae commonly known as rattlepods. Some 600 or more species of Crotalaria are described worldwide, mostly from the tropics; at least 500 species are known from Africa. Some species of Crotalaria are grown as ornamentals...
, Polygala
Polygala
Polygala is a genus of about 500 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Polygalaceae, commonly known as milkwort or snakeroot...
, Sutherlandia, Dolichos
Dolichos
Dolichos or Dolichus is derived from the Ancient Greek word for "long" . It may refer to* Dolichos , a genus of legumes* Dolichos , long-race in ancient Olympics...
, Cytisus
Cytisus
Cytisus is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae.-Selected species:* Cytisus arboreus DC.* Cytisus ardoini E.Fourn.* Cytisus baeticus Steud....
, Spartium and 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...
species. It has also been recorded on Crotolaria pallida
See also
- List of butterflies of India
- List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)
- List of butterflies of Menorca
External links
- Asahi Correctly determined photos of L. boeticus from the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...