?Common Blue
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Superfamily: Papilionoidea Family: Lycaenidae Subfamily: Polyommatinae Tribe: Polyommatini Genus: Polyommatus Species: P. icarus
Binomial name
Polyommatus icarus (Rottemburg, 1775)

The Common Blue Polyommatus icarus is a small butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2558x2048, 2840 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Common Blue Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ... Super Families Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Micropterigoidea Heterobathmioidea Eriocranioidea Acanthopteroctetoidea Lophocoronoidea Neopseustoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Hepialoidea Nepticuloidea Incurvarioidea Palaephatoidea Tischeriodea Simaethistoidea Tineoidea Gracillarioidea Yponomeutoidea Gelechioidea Zygaenoidea Sesioidea Cossoidea Tortricoidea Choreutoida Urodoidea Galacticoidea Schreckensteinioidea Epermenioidea Pterophoroidea Aluctoidea Immoidea Axioidea Hyblaeoidea Thyridoidea Whalleyanoidea Pyraloidea Mimallonoidea Lasiocampoidea Geometroidea Drepanoidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidae Hedyloidea Noctuoidea Families About... Families Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae Libytheidae The superfamily Papilionoidea contains all the butterflies except for the skippers, which are classified in superfamily Hesperioidea. ... Subfamilies Lycaeninae- Coppers Miletinae- Harvesters Polyommatinae- Blues Theclinae- Hairstreaks, Elfins The Lycaenidae or copper butterfly are a large family of butterflies, also known as the Gossamer-winged butterflies. ... Tribes Candalidini Lycaenesthini Niphandini Polyommatini Unassigned genera:  Alpherakya  Boliviella  Cherchiella  Chilades  Eldoradina  Elkalyce  Facula  Glabroculus  Ityloides  Itylos  Madeleinea  Maslowskia  Nivalis  Pallidula  Patricius  Plebejides  Sinia  Umpria Polyommatinae is a subfamily of the family Lycaenidae. ... Genera See text. ... Species Polyommatus bellargus Polyommatus coridon Polyommatus icarus Polyommatus semiargus . ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... S. A. von Rottemburg was a German entomologist in the 18th century. ... Families Superfamily Hesperioidea: Hesperiidae Superfamily Papilionoidea: Papilionidae Pieridae Nymphalidae Lycaenidae Riodinidae A butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera, and belongs to one of the superfamilies Hesperioidea (the skippers) or Papilionoidea (all other butterflies). ... Subfamilies Lycaeninae- Coppers Miletinae- Harvesters Polyommatinae- Blues Theclinae- Hairstreaks, Elfins The Lycaenidae or copper butterfly are a large family of butterflies, also known as the Gossamer-winged butterflies. ...

Appearance, behaviour and distribution

Male uppersides are a beautiful iridescent lilac blue with a thin black border. Females are brown with a row of red spots along the edges. They usually have some blue at the base of the wings and quite often, especially in Ireland and Scotland, are mostly blue but always have the red spots. Undersides have a greyish ground colour in the males and more brownish in the females. Both sexes have a row of red spots along the edge of the hindwings (extending onto the forewings though generally fainter, particularly in the males where they are sometimes missing altogether). There are about a dozen black centered white spots on the hind wings, nine on the forwings. The white fringe on the outer edge of the wings is not crossed with black lines as it is in the Chalkhill and Adonis Blues, an important difference when separating these species, particularly the females. It is Britain's (and probably Europe's) commonest and most widespread blue, Found as far north as Orkney and on most of the Outer Hebrides. Males are often very obvious as they defend territories against rivals and search out the more reclusive females. A range of grassland habitats are used: meadows, coastal dunes, woodland clearings and also many man made habitats, anywhere where their foodplans are found. It is Widespread in Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia. Binomial name Polyommatus coridon (Poda, 1761) The Chalkhill Blue (Polyommatus coridon) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. ... Binomial name Polyommatus bellargus (Rottemburg, 1775) The Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. ... The Orkney Islands form one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland, and are a Lieutenancy Area. ... Western Isles redirects here. ...

Lifecycle and foodplants

The Main foodplant on most sites is Birds-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus. Others used include Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Common Restharrow Ononis repens, White Clover Trifolium repens and Lesser Trefoil Trifolium dubium. Eggs are laid singly on young shoots of their foodplants. Binomial name Trifolium repens L. White Clover (Trifolium repens) is a species of clover native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. ...

The caterpillar is small, pale green with yellow stripes and as usual with lycid larvae rather sluglike. Hibernation occurs as a half grown larvae. They are attractive to ants but not as much as some other species of blues. The chrysalis is olive green/brown and formed on the ground where it is attended by ants which will often take it into their nests. The larvae creates a substance called honey dew, which the ants eat while the butterfly lives in the ant hill. In the south of Britain there are two broods a year flying in May and June and again in August and September. Northern England has one brood flying between June and September. In a long warm year there is sometimes a partial third brood in the south flying into October. The striking caterpillar of the Emperor Gum Moth This article is about insect larva. ... Anatomy of a slug A slug from North Bend, WA Slugs are gastropod molluscs without shells or with very small internal shells, in contrast to snails, which have a prominent coiled shell. ... Hibernation is a state of regulated hypothermia, lasting several days or weeks, that allows animals to conserve energy during the winter. ... Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary in Georgetown, South Carolina Pupation of Inachis io A pupa (plural: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. ...

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Polyommatus icarus