chalkhill blue butterfly

E383351

The chalkhill blue butterfly is a small, pale blue lycaenid butterfly of chalk and limestone grasslands in Europe, known for its strong association with specific ant species and its dependence on short, flower-rich turf.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
chalkhill blue butterfly canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf animal
arthropod
butterfly
insect
species
antAssociation Lasius alienus
linked to: Lasius

Lasius niger
antAssociationType mutualistic tending of larvae by ants
association myrmecophilous relationship with ants
behavior males form leks on slopes and ridges
males patrol for females over short turf
broodsPerYear one
class Insecta
commonName chalkhill blue
conservationMeasure maintenance of traditional grazing on chalk grassland
conservationStatus least concern
describedBy Johann Christian von Schreber
distinguishingFeature occurs mainly on calcareous grassland with horseshoe vetch
pale silvery-blue males with broad dark borders
family Lycaenidae
flightPeriod July to September
genus Polyommatus
geographicDistribution British Isles (southern England)
linked to: British Isles

Europe
central Europe
southern Europe
linked to: Southern Europe
habitat chalk grassland
limestone grassland
habitatRequirement short flower-rich turf
kingdom Animalia
larvalAdaptation larvae secrete sugary substances attractive to ants
larvalFoodPlant Hippocrepis comosa
larvalFoodPlantCommonName horseshoe vetch
lifeCycle holometabolous
order Lepidoptera
overwintersAs egg
phylum Arthropoda
scientificName Polyommatus coridon
sexualDimorphism present
similarSpecies Adonis blue
common blue
subfamily Polyommatinae
taxonRank species
threat intensive agriculture
loss of unimproved chalk grassland
scrub encroachment
wingColorFemale brown with blue suffusion
wingColorMale pale blue
wingPattern dark borders and white fringes
wingspan 30–36 mm
yearDescribed 1775

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Box Hill supportsSpecies chalkhill blue butterfly