Lycaenidae : Polyommatinae
Long-tailed Blue
LAMPIDES boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Long-tailed Blue
LAMPIDES boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Life Cycle Guide(Europe : Imago only)
Description
Alternative Names: Pea Blue : Pea-pod Argus
Wingspan: 22-38mm
UK Distribution: Rare-dependant on migratory conditions. Recent single sightings in Southern England in 2006 & 2010.
Worldwide Distribution: Common lycaenid found throughout temperate zones worldwide.South & Central Europe : Asia Minor : North West Africa : Australia : New Zealand.
UK Conservation Status -
Flight Period: February-November depending on locality. Polyvoltine : overlapping broods.
Habitat: Hot dry flowery places where members of Fabaceae-Pea family is to be found : Cultivated ground : River valleys : Forest glades : Agricultural land.
Ovum: The Long-tailed Blue ovum is white and circular,flat both sides with an indent in the centre of the ovum and is deposited on a leaf adjacent to a pea pod,flower bud or stem.(See below)
Sightings of Long-tailed Blue in the South of England may well be as a result of egg laying on Mange Tout imported by the supermarkets.
Larva: Early stage larva feed of the flowers of members of the leguminous plants, varying from the low growing Restharrow to the much higher growing Chamaecytisus palmensis before moving into the developing seed-pods to feed.
Pupa: The chrysalis is formed in a dry curled up leaf
Observations: Sharing some of the "pea" plants with Lang's Short-tailed Blue it is not uncommon to find the two species together especially in the locality of cultivated areas around hotels, which is possibly why the two butterflies can be mistakingly identified.
The white stripe on the underside forewing and hindwing of the Long-tailed Blue being the obvious identification feature difference.
Due to its liking for cultivated plants like Broad/Runner beans the larvae can often be considered pests in Europe.
Prefers hot shrubby cultivated areas where larval food plant can be found.
The few visitors encountered in the southern counties of England are unable to withstand the British winters.
Wingspan: 22-38mm
UK Distribution: Rare-dependant on migratory conditions. Recent single sightings in Southern England in 2006 & 2010.
Worldwide Distribution: Common lycaenid found throughout temperate zones worldwide.South & Central Europe : Asia Minor : North West Africa : Australia : New Zealand.
UK Conservation Status -
- Vagrant/Accidental
- Least Concern
- Papilio boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)
- Papilio boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)
- Algeria
Flight Period: February-November depending on locality. Polyvoltine : overlapping broods.
Habitat: Hot dry flowery places where members of Fabaceae-Pea family is to be found : Cultivated ground : River valleys : Forest glades : Agricultural land.
Ovum: The Long-tailed Blue ovum is white and circular,flat both sides with an indent in the centre of the ovum and is deposited on a leaf adjacent to a pea pod,flower bud or stem.(See below)
Sightings of Long-tailed Blue in the South of England may well be as a result of egg laying on Mange Tout imported by the supermarkets.
Larva: Early stage larva feed of the flowers of members of the leguminous plants, varying from the low growing Restharrow to the much higher growing Chamaecytisus palmensis before moving into the developing seed-pods to feed.
Pupa: The chrysalis is formed in a dry curled up leaf
Observations: Sharing some of the "pea" plants with Lang's Short-tailed Blue it is not uncommon to find the two species together especially in the locality of cultivated areas around hotels, which is possibly why the two butterflies can be mistakingly identified.
The white stripe on the underside forewing and hindwing of the Long-tailed Blue being the obvious identification feature difference.
Due to its liking for cultivated plants like Broad/Runner beans the larvae can often be considered pests in Europe.
Prefers hot shrubby cultivated areas where larval food plant can be found.
The few visitors encountered in the southern counties of England are unable to withstand the British winters.
Photo Gallery
Ova
The Long-tailed Blue ovum is white and circular,flat both sides with an indent in the centre of the ova and is deposited on a leaf adjacent to a pea pod,flower bud or stem.(See below)
Sightings of Long-tailed Blue in the South of England may well be as a result of egg laying on Mange Tout imported by the supermarkets.
Sightings of Long-tailed Blue in the South of England may well be as a result of egg laying on Mange Tout imported by the supermarkets.
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
- Canavalia lineata - Beach Bean
- Cassia didymobotrya - African senna - Popcorn senna
- Chamaecytisus palmensis - Tree Lucerne
- Colutea arborscens - Bladder Senna
- Colutea paulsenii - No Common Name
- Crotalaria alata - Rattlebox
- Crotalaria anagyroides - Rattlebox
- Crotalaria cunninghamii - Green Bird Flower
- Crotalaria Pallida - Smooth Rattlebox
- Crotalaria sessilifolia - Racoon Dog Beans
- Cytisus battandieri - Pineapple Broom
- Cytisus megalanthus - Font Quer
- Cytisus scoparius - Common Broom
- Lablab purpureus - Hyacinth Bean
- Dunbaria rotundifolia - No Common Name
- Kennedia prostrata - Running Postman
- Lathyrus odoratus - Sweet pea
- Lotus australis - Austral Trefoil
- Onobrychis humilis - Holy Clover
- Ononis natrix - Large Yellow Rest Harrow
- Phaseolus vulgaris - French Bean,Kidney Bean
- Psium sativum - Garden Pea
- Psoralea patens - Wooly-flowered Scurf Pea
- Pueraria lobata - Japanese Arrowroot
- Pueraria montana - Kudzu Vine
- Sesbania cannabina - Yellow Peabush
- Spartium junceum - Spanish Broom - Weavers Broom
- Swainsona formosus - Sturt's Desert Pea
- Trifolium angustifolium - Narrrowleaf Clover
- Vicia faba - Horsebean
- Vicia sativa - Winter Tares
- Virgilia oroboides - Blossom Tree
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - Astragalus - Milkvetch / Caesalpinia / Cajanus / Canavalia / Derris / Indigofera / Lathyrus - Sweet Peas / Lupinus - Lupins / Medicago - Clovers / Melilotus -Melilot / Pisum - Pea / Podalyria / Sesbania -Rattlebox/ Ulex - Gorse / Vigna - Azuki Beans etc / Virgilia -Keurboom (South Africa)
- Note - Larvae also feed on the following plant families
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species LAMPIDES: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidea Lycaenidae Polyommatinae Polyommatini LAMPIDES Hübner, 1819 Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767) - Papilio boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767) - PAPILIO boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767) = Papilio damoetes Fabricius, 1775 = Lycaena leguminis Scott, 1890 = Papilio coluteae Fuessly, 1775 = Papilio archias Cramer, 1777 = Papilio pisorum Fourcroy, 1785 = Papilio boetica Fabricius, 1793 = Lampides armeniensis Gerhard, 1882 = Polyommatus bagus Distant, 1886 = Lampides grisescens Tutt, 1907 = Lampides caerulea Tutt, 1907 = Lampides caeruleafasciata Tutt, 1907 = Lampides clara Tutt, 1907 = Lampides clarafasciata Tutt, 1907 = Lampides coerulea Tutt, 1907 = Lampides fusca Tutt, 1907 = Lampides typicamarginata Tutt, 1907 = Lampides minor Tutt, 1907 = Lampides typicafasciata Tutt, 1907 = Polyommatus yanagawensis Hori, 1923 = Lampides obsoleta Evans, 1925 = Lampides infuscata Querci, 1932 = Lampides anamariae Gómez Bustillo, 1973 - Syst. Nat.(Edn 12) 1 (2): Title page : p.789 n.226 - Algeria |