| Brown argus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
 | |
| Both males at Aston Rowant NNR, Oxfordshire | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Aricia |
| Species: | A. agestis |
| Binomial name | |
| Aricia agestis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) | |
Aricia agestis, the brown argus, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic realm, north to northern Jutland (Denmark) and east to Siberia and the Tian Shan. [1]
L. astrarche Bgstr. (= medon Hufn., agestis Schiff., idas Gerh. (?), nazira Moore) (79 k). Above similar to the preceding,[ L. anteros ] deep dark brown, with strongly marked discocellular spot, especially in the male. Typical specimens have this spot black and bear red spots at the outer margin. Underside with numerous ocelli, the hindwing with a pale smear from the apex of the cell to the centre of the outer margin. From Scandinavia to the Sahara and northern India, and from the Canary Isles to the island of Askold in the Pacific, ascending in the mountains up to 10,000 ft. (Doherty). — Besides accidental aberrations in the usual directions of variation, a number of seasonal and geographical forms have been established. If the spring-brood of the Central European form is regarded as name-typical astrarche, ab. aestiva Stgr. is the name for the second brood, which occurs regularly in the south and more rarely in the north and which connects astrarche with calida Bell. (79 k, 80 a) [A. a. calida (Bellier, 1862) . The latter has a much darker, almost coffee-brown, under-side, with a broader band of red spots. Egg pale green, flattened, with the top concave and the surface minutely reticulate (Tutt, Harrison, Gillmer). Larva light green, with a purple dorsal stripe and a similar stripe along the sides, between them oblique pale smears; in spring and summer (in the south throughout the year) on various plants, such as Helianthemum, Centaurea, Erodium, etc. Pupa pale yellowish green, sometimes with a brown dorsal stripe, on or near the ground. The butterflies are on the wing in May and again from July onward, in the south the whole summer until the autumn, in several broods. They fly everywhere, in fields, on field-paths, on rocky hills, even in gardens, always close to the ground and belong to the very commonest butterflies. During the hours of flight they settle with spread wings on blades of grass, blossoms, or clods of earth, while they sleep with closed wings generally hidden under umbels and the inflorescences of grasses. [2]
Although one of the "blues", both sexes are brown on the uppersides with a band of orange spots at the border of each wing. They can be mistaken for other female blues but the brown argus never has any blue scales at the base of the wings like other female blues often do. It could also be mistaken for the northern brown argus ( Aricia artaxerxes ) were it not for the fact that their ranges do not overlap in the UK, unlike on continental Europe. The underside has the typical "blue" pattern of a greyish/brownish ground colour with black spots outlined in white and a row of orange spots along the border. The pattern of the black spots is the best way to distinguish this species from female common, chalkhill and Adonis blues as they lack the black spot found near the base of the forewing which is present on these three species. This species has seen an expansion in its range in recent years and is widely distributed across south-east England and most of the Midlands with colonies occurring in Wales and as far north as Yorkshire. These northern sites have seen a lot of confusion in recent years with genetic studies looking at various colonies to separate the two Aricia species. Until a few years ago, these northern colonies were thought to be the northern brown argus and more colonies may yet be found to be misidentified. Like other blues it is common on the chalk downlands of southern England but will also use other habitats such as woodland clearings, coastal grasslands and heathland. It is not closely related to the Scotch argus. [3]
Common rock-rose ( Helianthemum nummularium ) is the favoured food plant on calcareous soils. In other habitats dove's-foot cranesbill ( Geranium molle ) and common stork's-bill ( Erodium cicutarium ) are used and possibly other Geranium species as well. Eggs are laid singly on the underside of leaves. The typically slug-like lycid larvae are green with a pale line along each side and always attended by ants. They hibernate as fully-grown larvae and pupate the following spring. There are two broods a year in the southern colonies with adults on the wing in May and June and again in late July till mid-September but further north they are single brooded and fly in June and July. [4]
The green hairstreak is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.
The brown hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The range includes most of the Palaearctic.
The purple hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae distributed throughout much of Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, Caucasia, and Transcaucasia. The larva feeds on Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Quercus cerris and Quercus ilex.
The white-letter hairstreak is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.
The small blue is a Palearctic butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Despite its common name, it is not particularly blue. The male has some bluish suffusion at the base of its upper wings but is mostly dark brown like the female. The species can live in colonies of up to several hundred and in its caterpillar stage is cannibalistic.
The silver-studded blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It has bright blue wings rimmed in black with white edges and silver spots on its hindwings, lending it the name of the silver-studded blue. P. argus can be found across Europe and east across the Palearctic, but it is most often studied in the United Kingdom where the species has experienced a severe decline in population due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
The northern brown argus is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found throughout much of the Palearctic realm.
The Adonis blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It inhabits the Palearctic realm.
The map is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Melitaea diamina, the false heath fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Coenonympha arcania, the pearly heath, is a butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae.
Argynnis pandora, the cardinal, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is common throughout southern Europe and is also found in northern Africa and the Middle east and then east across the Palearctic to the Tian-Shan andnorthwestern India.
Boloria dia, the Weaver's fritillary or violet fritillary, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The name Weaver's fritillary is in honor of Richard Weaver, an English insect collector who claimed to have obtained the specimen within ten miles of Birmingham around 1820. However, B. dia is very rare in England and the few specimens known from there are thought to be from possibly accidental introductions.
Eumedonia eumedon, the geranium argus, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Palearctic realm. This butterfly has been included in the genera Plebejus, Plebeius, Polyommatus and Aricia, but recent molecular studies have demonstrated that Eumedonia is a valid genus, different from the previous genera mentioned.
Aricia nicias, the silvery argus, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Alps, Pyrenees and from Scandinavia ranging to Siberia and the north of Mongolia.
Agriades optilete, the cranberry blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in north eastern Europe, the Alps, North Asia, Japan, Korea and north western North America.
Polyommatus amandus, the Amanda's blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Palearctic realm.
Aricia cramera, the southern brown argus, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is a butterfly of Southern Europe and North Africa and can be found from Morocco and Tunisia up to Spain and Portugal, on Mediterranean islands including Menorca and on the Canary Islands.
Aricia morronensis, the Spanish argus, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Spain and Hautes-Pyrénées (France).
Aricia anteros, the blue argus, is a European butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It has a wingspan of 30–34 mm. In Europe it can be found in Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Ukraine and in Turkey. Its primary larval food plants are Geranium sanguineum and Geranium macrorrhizum.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .