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Plebejus pylaon trappi

Zephyr Blue - trappi

Valais, Switzerland, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, June 2004

Male resting on larval food plant

Valais, Switzerland, June 2004

Female

Valais, Switzerland, June 2004

Note solid white chevrons between orange spots and post discal spots on hindwing.

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Male resting on larval food plant

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

White chevrons on the underside hindwing are all of roughly same size with base on orange lunule and not extending beyond the post discal black spots.

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Female

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Another female with more extensive orange on upperside.

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Female underside - chevrons as male.

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Female testing for laying site

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Site selected

Egg laid

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

Larval food plant for trappi

This is a very local species in Europe. It flies as several subspecies in isolated groups of colonies - sephirus in SE Europe where it is most widespread, trappi in the western Alps and hespericus on a couple of Sierras of southern Spain. I've only found it in Switzerland and mainland Greece.

trappi (Switzerland) is much larger than the other subspecies (although that doesn't look to be the case in the guide books) and is very distinct from the typical Plebejus idas and argus that fly with it or nearby. Characteristically the reflective silvery scales are absent where they are typically found in Plebejus in the centre of the underside hindwing black submarginal spots. I found the species to resemble Agrodiaetus escheri which was flying nearby. It was about the same size but a little brighter and less violet blue. That species has a very distinct single white chevron on the underside hindwing reaching from the submarginal orange spots in towards the cell spot. trappi has small white chevrons that emanate from each of the orange submarginal spots reaching a point at the discal spots. It is found in very small colonies where it is common. The colonies appeared to be confined to the extent of the foodplant, a very hairy low growing Astragalus species of spider like form with yellow flowers at its centre at ground level.

sephirus (Greece) is rather smaller than trappi in my experience and more closely resembles argus and idas. We've only found it for certain in the Pelopennesos where it was flying with idas magnagreaca. The upperside dark border in the male of that species is broad whereas that for sephirus is fine. Coupled with the lack of silvery scales on the underside these photographs are of pylaon. I've found what I think are pylaon from other parts of Greece based on the lack of silvery scales. But these are almost exclusively of old worn specimens where some loss of scales has already happened - consequently the absence of the diagnostic silvery scales my be a consequence of age rather than species! Additionally, these were found in July, a month later than my Pelopennesos examples so I really don't know if they are idas or pylaon.