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Chalk Hill Blue ssp. caelestissima
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Montes
Universales, Spain, August 2003
Fresh male.
Very bright blue upperside sets caelestissima apart from the
typical Chalk Hill Blue |
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Montes
Universales, Spain, August 2003
Female. The
extent of orange on hindwing was variable. |
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Montes
Universales, Spain, August 2003 |
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Montes
Universales, Spain, August 2003 |
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This is a gorgeous subspecies of the Chalk Hill Blue. It is found only in
central Spain only in the Montes Universales. We found it in super abundance in
many places but completely absent in others. It was notable that where I found caelestissima
I didn't find L. albicans (except once where I found a single caelestissima
in a cloud of albicans). Evidently there is some competition between the
species.
caelestissima differs from the typical Chalk Hill Blue in the blue of the
upperside of the male. caelestissima has a fabulous bright sky blue upperside,
completely different to the chalky whitish blue of the more typical Chalk Hill
Blue. Some people believe it may vary sufficiently from the normal form that it
is a species in its own right. I can believe this as it really is completely
unmistakable. I've heard recent reports of a similarly bright subspecies from
Sardinia - perhaps another species? I wonder if the normal form is ever found in
either of these two populations. I certainly didn't see any in the many
thousands of examples I saw.
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