The Long-tailed Blue is an extremely rare migrant to the British Isles. It was first recorded from Brighton in East Sussex, and Christchurch in Hampshire, in August 1859. By 1939 a mere 36 sightings had been recorded - mostly of individuals. Between 1940 and 1988 another 85 sightings were recorded. The only major immigration was in 1945, a good year for migrants in general, when there were 38 sightings. A recent immigrant was observed in Hampshire in 2006. On the continent, this butterfly is considered a pest of pea crops, one of the larval foodplants, where it can cause considerable damage. This butterfly is continuously-brooded on the continent but is unable to survive our winters. Although this species is a rare migrant to the British Isles, it is one of the most-widely distributed Lycaenids in the world. The vast majority of records in the British Isles are from the south of England and the Channel Islands. Subspecies: Lampides boeticus boeticus The nominate subspecies was first defined in Linnaeus (1767) as shown here (type locality: Algeria). The population in the British Isles is represented by this subspecies.
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![Long-Tailed Blue - imago - Spain - Unknown date [Adrian Riley]](image_generator.php?src=phpBB/gallery/images/cache/e04de1e768e467ee369141abb2706e98.jpg&r=223&g=246&b=216 "Long-Tailed Blue - imago - Spain - Unknown date [Adrian Riley]") |
Female
Photo © Adrian Riley |
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The butterfly is rarely seen before the second half of July, with the peak of sightings being recorded at the end of August and into September. Subspecies: Lampides boeticus boeticus 
The chart(s) above have been correlated with the phenology plot below, taken from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme. The blue line gives average counts over the full data set from 1976 to date, and the red line gives the average for the last year. 
The adult butterfly is most-often seen flying around garden flowers, especially those which are potential foodplants. However, it may also be found on open downland.
The primary larval foodplants are Bladder-senna (Colutea arborescens), Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea (Lathyrus latifolius), Broom (Cytisus scoparius) and Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea (Lathyrus sylvestris). Mange-tout pea (Pisum sativum) is also used.
Description to be completed
The adult butterfly has a jerky and rapid flight that is very similar to a hairstreak, but flies closer to the ground. It is also a strong flyer, borne out by its ability to migrate over large expanses of land and water. This butterfly possesses a pair of "tails" that give this species its name, together with an eye spot where the tails meet the wings. These act to divert a predator, such as a bird, away from the essential body parts. When at rest, the butterfly will rotate the hindwings which causes the tails to move, diverting predators from the more-important parts of the body. Subspecies: Lampides boeticus boeticus
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![Long-Tailed Blue - imago - Spain - 09-Jul-08 [Andrew Burns]](image_generator.php?src=phpBB/gallery/images/cache/b8b3b5d9696fed3914a6bc52baa9ab66.jpg&r=223&g=246&b=216 "Long-Tailed Blue - imago - Spain - 09-Jul-08 [Andrew Burns]") |
Photo © Andrew Burns
09-Jul-2008 |
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Description to be completed.
This butterfly is known to have bred in the British Isles and 26 eggs were first found near Dorking in Surrey on 12th July 1952 from the flowers of Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea. The eggs hatch after around a week.
The woodlouse-shaped larva first feeds on the flowers of the foodplant, but eventually enters a pod where it feeds on the contents. This stage lasts between 3 and 4 weeks.
The pupa is attached to withered leaves by a girdle. This stage lasts around 10 days.
No similar species found.
No sites found.
This species is a rare migrant and no conservation action is relevant.
The following links provide additional information on this butterfly.
The species description provided here has been derived from the author's own observations and the information contained in the following works:
- Asher (2001). Asher, J., Warren, M., Fox, R., Harding, P., Jeffcoate, G. and Jeffcoate, S.: The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. 2001.
- Fox (2006). Fox, R., Asher, J., Brereton, T., Roy, D. and Warren, M.: The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. 2006.
- Frohawk (1914). Frohawk, F.W.: A Natural History of British Butterflies. 1914.
- Howarth (1973). Howarth, T.G.: South's British Butterflies. 1973.
- Nash (2012). Nash, D., Boyd, T. and Hardiman, D.: Ireland's Butterflies: A Review. 2012.
- Riley (2007). Riley, A.M.: British and Irish Butterflies: The Complete Identification, Field and Site Guide to the Species, Subspecies and Forms. 2007.
- South (1906). South, R.: The Butterflies Of The British Isles. 1906.
- Thomas & Lewington (2010). Thomas, J. and Lewington, R.: The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland. Edn.2. 2010.
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