Blue vetch
| Blue vetch | ||||||||||||
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Red vetch (male) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Plebejus argyrognomon | ||||||||||||
| ( Bergstrasse , 1779) |
The Kronwicken-Bläuling ( Plebejus argyrognomon , often incorrectly written also Plebeius argyrognomon ) is a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of the blue lice (Lycaenidae).
features
The moths reach a wingspan of 25 to 30 millimeters. They are similar to the blue-goose clover ( Plebejus argus ) but are larger. They have light gray-blue with a gray-black edge (males) or deep blue at the base, dark gray-brown towards the outside (females), which are fringed with white at the edge. In the females several spots, some orange and black colored, are lined up near the hind wing edge. The females are only very weakly or not at all blue and more dark brown in color in the more southern distribution areas.
The caterpillars are about 15 millimeters long. They are colored green and have a dark green, slightly light back line and light side lines on both sides. You have short, white, velvety hair.
Similar species
- Blue-goose clover ( Plebejus argus )
- Idas blue ( Plebejus idas )
Distinguishing features to Plebejus idas :
| gender | feature | difference |
|---|---|---|
| male | Base color | brighter |
| male | bottom | whitish, clear, often bluish tone |
| Males, females |
Wing underside, orange spots |
often only slightly curved, not sickle-shaped |
| female | Fringes | always knows |
Occurrence
The animals are found in parts of France , in Central and Southern Europe and Turkey , but they are most common in Southeastern Europe , in Central Europe they are very rare and in many places have already disappeared. Occasionally they also live in northern Europe. You can find them at an altitude of 200 to 1,500 meters. They live in dry meadows rich in flowers, but also occur in wetlands .
Flight time
The moths fly annually in two generations from mid-May to June and from late June to July. In cold areas, they fly in just one generation from late June to late August.
Food of the caterpillars
The caterpillars live in symbiosis with ants and feed especially on red vetch ( Coronilla varia ), occasionally also on sweet tragacanth ( Astragalus glycyphyllos ).
development
The females of the first generation lay their eggs on both sides of the leaves and flowers of the forage plants, those of the second generation lay them on the stems. The second generation does not hatch from the eggs until after winter.
Hazard and protection
- Red list FRG: 3 (endangered).
literature
- Manfred Koch , Wolfgang Heinicke: We identify butterflies. 3. Edition. Neumann, Radebeul 1991, ISBN 3-7402-0092-8 .
Web links
- www.lepiforum.de Photos and taxonomy
- www.schmetterling-raupe.de
- Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa (English)
- Plebejus (Plebejus) argyrognomon in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved March 2, 2011
Individual evidence
- ↑ Plebejus Kluk, 1802 is in the Official Lists and Indexes of Names in Zoology as a valid name for this genus PDF
- ↑ a b c d e Heiko Bellmann : The new Kosmos butterfly guide, butterflies, caterpillars and forage plants . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-440-09330-1 , p. 154 .
- ^ Lionel G. Higgins and Norman D. Rilley, Die Tagfalter Europas und Nordwestafrikas (A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe). Paul Parey Publishing House, 1971, ISBN 3-490-02418-4 .
- ↑ a b Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington: The butterflies of Europe and Northwest Africa . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-440-07573-7 , p. 103 .