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False Eros Blue
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Pirin Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Pirin Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Pirin Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Pirin Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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Pirin Mts,
Bulgaria, July 2004 |
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| This appears to be a very local
butterfly found at higher elevations. It flies in from June to mid-July.
It is known principally from the Balkans but is also found further north
in isolated regions in Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
It is a bright blue with distinctive dusky borders on the upperside. In
fact it is quite unmistakable despite its superficial resemblance in the
field guides to species such as the Common Blue (P. icarus).
Contrary to the butterflies illustrated in Tolman (1997) it has a black
cell spot on the underside forewing.
After a failed search in mid/late July 2000 we
eventually found it flying over rocky ground in the Pirin Mts. of southern
Bulgaria in the 1st half of July 2004. There were sparse
grasses and plenty of flowers for the adults to feed upon. Subsequently we
found it in similar habitats and close to where we searched for it in NW
Greece in 2000. Evidentially flight time is subject to seasonal variation.
All of our sites were above 1600m and very localised. There was a single
site that varied from the other habitats which was dominated by lush grass
and lacked bear rocks. |
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