Blues in Sweden

Paulcrook · Post by **Paulcrook** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 9:06 pm

You may have seen these before but as usual I have misplaced some of my records. Anyone any ideas re the ID of these butterflies? All the pictures were taken at the end of June last year.

Thanks
Paul Crook

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:08 pm

I am nearly sure the last two are Holly Blues. I don't really know rest now.

JKT · Post by **JKT** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:32 am

I would venture to say:
Polyommatus semiargus
Polyommatus amandus
Polyommatus icarus
Polyommatus icarus
Polyommatus icarus
Celastrina argiolus
Celastrina argiolus,
but there is a small question mark on the worn female amandus and a big problem with the icaruses: there is also a record of Polyommatus dorylas from Sweden and I have no idea how common it is there, nor do I know off-hand how to tell it apart from icarus. Padfield?

Post by **Padfield** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:26 am

The second one is a geranium argus, Eumedonia eumedon. One of the key identifiers for this species is that 99% of the time it is sitting on a geranium!

Guy

Post by **Padfield** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:29 am

You don't have any glimpses of the uns for 3, 4 and 5, do you? Even rubbish pictures might help pin down the species.

Guy

JKT · Post by **JKT** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 1:07 pm

padfield wrote:The second one is a geranium argus, Eumedonia eumedon.

I really should have noticed the forewing dots.

Post by **Padfield** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 4:01 pm

JKT, I just happen to have a thriving colony of geranium arguses in my garden so it's one of those butterflies that I can recognise instantly on jizz.

I'm sure JKT is right about the semiargus and argiolus (and Dave for the argiolus).

It's true that the other male blue looks very good indeed for dorylas. The hind margin is not as clean white as the dorylas in Switzerland (this butterfly has half-greying) but apart from that it is classic in every way. I would certainly consider that a possibility if the picture was taken in S.E. Sweden or one of the islands off the Swedish coast. And if it was, could those female blues possibly even be Reverdin's, P. argyrognomon?? Is it possible that is crown vetch the first one is sitting on?

The tiniest hint of a glimpse of the underside of any of them would settle the score, I think!! Tantalising!

Guy

Paulcrook · Post by **Paulcrook** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:40 am

Thanks for the replies. I only have an underside picture of one of the blues, picture 4. Pictures 4 and 5 were taken in close proximity to each other so I wonder if they are the same species. Not neccesarily the case but quite possible.
Paul

Paulcrook · Post by **Paulcrook** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:43 am

Forgot to add the picture -sorry.

Paul

Post by **Padfield** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:32 am

Aha!! That is icarus, as JKT first said, so in the absence of any further clues I think the females should be called icarus too.

Guy