| Plebejus idas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Plebejus idas. Male, upperside | |
 | |
| Plebejus idas. Female, underside | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Plebejus |
| Species: | P. idas |
| Binomial name | |
| Plebejus idas (Linnaeus, 1761) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Plebejus idas, the Idas blue or northern blue, [1] is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It belongs to the subfamily of Polyommatinae (Babendreier, 2003).
Subspecies include the following: [2]
Plebejus idas lotis (syn. Lycaeides idas lotis, Lycaeides argyrognomon lotis, Plebejus anna lotis [3] ) - commonly known as lotis blue butterfly - is a critically endangered subspecies native to Mendocino County, California, [4] with sightings in Sonoma and Marin counties. It has been listed as an endangered species since June 1, 1976, [5] but is believed to be extinct since it has not been seen in the wild since 1994.
This butterfly is very rare with low population densities. This mainly due to human disturbance effecting and creating changes in vegetation. According to the Nature Conservancy, it is critically endangered. It is ranked as Ti, critically imperiled (Zverev, 2021). In the summer of 2014, a fire in Vastmanland in South Central Sweden affected an area of 13,100 ha. After the fire the Idas Blues along with other species increased in numbers. This is presumed to be because of an increase in larval host plant abundance. [6]
This species can be found in most of Europe (except parts of Spain, southern Italy and the United Kingdom), [7] in the northern regions of the Palearctic (Siberia, mountains of South Siberia and Yakutia) and in the Nearctic realms. [8] [2]
It usually inhabits grassy flowery areas, mixed evergreen forests and wet meadows up to alpine levels, [7] [9] at an elevation of 200–2,100 metres (660–6,890 ft) above sea level. [10]
Plebejus idas has a wingspan of 17–28 mm. [1] [10] This species is quite variable in colors and markings. The upperside of male's wings is iridescent blue, while it is brown with orange submarginal spots in the females. The underface of the wings is greyish with black spots and it shows a thin black line and small dots along outer margin. Along these margins are also present a rather large orange band with blue spots. [9]
This species is very similar to the Silver studded blue ( Plebejus argus ) and to the Reverdin's blue ( Plebejus argyrognomon ). [7] The forelegs of male of Plebejus idas lacks a hook which is present in Plebejus argus. [10]
The species flies in a single brood from June to August depending on location. [9] The larvae feed on Calluna vulgaris , Vaccinium uliginosum , Empetrum nigrum and various Fabaceae species (mainly Cercis siliquastrum , Melilotus albus , Lotus corniculatus , Cytisus , Genista tinctoria , Trifolium pratense , Chrysaspis campestris , Astragalus alpinus and Anthyllis ). They are usually attended by ants ( Lasius and Formica species). [2] [11] Second-stage of the caterpillars overwinter. Male butterflies will patrol and find plants to host the female butterflies. The female butterflies will lay the eggs on the host plant stems or debris (Bálint, 2020).
Named in the Classical tradition.In Greek mythology Idas is an argonaut.
Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies, with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly species.
The Karner blue is an endangered species of small blue butterfly found in some Great Lakes states, small areas of New Jersey, the Capital District region of New York, and southern New Hampshire in the United States. The butterfly, whose life cycle depends on the wild blue lupine flower, was classified as an endangered species in the United States in 1992.
Lycaena phlaeas, the small copper, American copper, or common copper, is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family. According to Guppy and Shepard (2001), its specific name phlaeas is said to be derived either from the Greek φλέγω (phlégo), "to burn up", or from the Latin floreo, "to flourish".
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.
Polyommatinae, the blues, are a diverse subfamily of gossamer-winged butterflies. This subfamily of butterfly was discovered in 1775. These butterflies have been considered one of the poorest studied groups within the family Lycaenidae.
The purple-edged copper is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae.
Plebejus is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. Its species are found in the Palearctic and Nearctic realms.
Glaucopsyche, commonly called blues, is a Holarctic genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae, found mainly in Palearctic Asia. For other species called "blues" see subfamily Polyommatinae and genus Plebejus.
Madeleinea is a butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae. These Andean butterflies are very interesting from a taxonomic standpoint.
The Melissa blue is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in western North America, from Canada to Mexico.
Plebejus argyrognomon, common name Reverdin's blue is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. The species is named after Jacques-Louis Reverdin.
Hosackia rosea, synonym Lotus aboriginus, is a species of legume native to North America. It is known by the common names rosy bird's-foot trefoil and thicket trefoil. It grows in mountains and canyons, often in moist areas. It is a perennial herb lined with leaves each made up of pairs of oval leaflike leaflets 1 to 3 cm long. The inflorescence is a spray of six to 10 white or pink flowers each about 1 cm long. The flower is somewhat tubular, encased at the base in a calyx of sepals and lobed at the mouth. The fruit is a hairless elongated legume pod 3–5 cm long.
Hosackia gracilis, synonym Lotus formosissimus, is a species of legume native to western North America from British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to California. It was first described by George Bentham. It is known by the common names harlequin lotus and seaside bird's-foot trefoil. It grows in moist spots in the coastal mountains and down to the oceanside bluffs. It is a perennial herb growing upright or spreading to about 0.5 m in maximum length. It is lined with leaves each made up of a few oppositely arranged oval leaflets up to 2 cm long. The inflorescence is made up of several pealike flowers each 1 to 2 cm long. The flower has a bright yellow banner, or upper petal, and bright pink or white lower petals. The fruit is a legume pod 2 to 3 cm long.
Kretania pylaon, the zephyr blue, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in southern Russia and the Middle East to Iran. The habitat consists of dry habitats.
Celastrina idella, the American holly azure, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found on the east coast of the United States.
Plebejus anna, or Anna's blue, is a species of blue in the butterfly family Lycaenidae. It is found in North America.
Kretania martini, or Martin's blue, is a species of North African butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and the subfamily Polyommatinae.
Babendreier, Kuske, S., & Bigler, F. (2003). Non-target host acceptance and parasitism by Trichogramma brassicae Bezdenko (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in the laboratory. Biological Control, 26(2), 128–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1049-9644(02)00121-4
Bálint, & Karbalaye, A. (2020). Plebejus alizadehorum sp. n. from Western Iran (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae: Polyommatini). Caucasian Entomological Bulletin, 16(2), 329–334. https://doi.org/10.23885/181433262020162-329334
Zverev, & Kozlov, M. V. (2021). The Fluctuating Asymmetry of the Butterfly Wing Pattern Does Not Change along an Industrial Pollution Gradient. Symmetry (Basel), 13(4), 626–. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13040626
