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| Photos: explicit permission must be obtained from Matt Rowlings for any use of any images from eurobutterflies.com. |
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Dusky Large Blue
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Bern, Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Dusky Large
Blue Distribution: One or two small areas of NW Spain with the main distribution from central eastern France, Switzerland, Germany (absent from the north) and eastwards. Identification: A rather bland butterfly at first view, reminiscent of the Heaths, Coenonympha, group due to its predominantly brown colouration on both surfaces of the wings. The upperside of the male is actually dark blue with very thick dusky borders, but the female is almost completely uniform brown. See also the key to the Maculinea for more information. Flight time: Seems to vary with locality and altitude. In Switzerland it flies early/mid July at 1400, but in August at 600m. In N Spain I found it in very good condition in mid August at about 900m. Habitat: Damp habitats where the foodplant, Sanguisorba officinalis, Great Burnet. The habitat is often shared with the Scarce Large Blue, M. teleius. Behaviour: Adults will often sit head down on the flower heads of the larval food plant, Sanguisorba, where they may be rather inconspicuous until they fly. In this position they often curve their abdomen around the flower head. In Spain they will rest like this for a considerable amount of time unless disturbed when, in the afternoon of a very hot day, they will walk round the flower head rather than fly. Larvae are attended by ants in much the same way as the Large Blue, M. arion. Additional notes: A protected species, that is highly sought after by collectors and only found in highly threatened, often small habitats. It appears to have declined significantly mainly due to habitat drainage coupled with increasing likelihood of droughts. I was very lucky to find this species, by complete chance, in N Spain. It was, perhaps surprisingly, flying with the Spanish Argus, Aricia moronensis, a species associated with dry meadows. It flies slightly later then the Scarce Large Blue, M. teleius, when the two species share the same habitat, but there is a considerable overlap. |
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Vaud, Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Bern, Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Vaud, Switzerland, August 2006 |
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Vaud, Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Vaud, Switzerland, July 2004 Worn butterfly, feeding on Sanguisorba. |
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N Spain, August 2003 Resting on the larval and adult food plant, Great Burnet, Sanguisorba |
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N Spain, August 2003 Poor photos due to strong wind and poor condition of these individuals |
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N Spain, August 2003 Again the abdomen is wrapped around the flower head |
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