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The list comprises butterfly species listed in The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland by Emmet et al. [1] and Britain's Butterflies by Tomlinson and Still. [2] A study by NERC in 2004 found there has been a species decline of 71% of butterfly species between 1983 and 2003. [3]
The large blue (Phengaris arion) is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The species was first defined in 1758 and first recorded in Britain in 1795. [ 2 ] In 1979 the species became mostly extinct in Britain but has been successfully reintroduced with new conservation methods. [ 3 ]
The common blue butterfly or European common blue [3] (Polyommatus icarus) is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic and has been introduced to North America. Butterflies in the Polyommatinae are collectively called blues, from the coloring of the wings.
Male P. argus have royal blue wings with a black border, white, wispy fringe, and metallic silver spots on the hindwings as well as spurs on their front legs. Females of this species are generally brown and more subdued in color, but also have the metallic spots on the hindwings. The undersides of the male and female butterflies are very similar.
Waring, Paul, Martin Townsend and Richard Lewington (2003) Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing, Hook, UK. British Wildlife Publishing, Hook, UK. ISBN 0-9531399-1-3 .
Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, [1] whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly species.
Lycaenidae, a family of butterflies Polyommatinae, a subfamily consisting of the blue butterflies Common blue (Polyommatus icarus) Large blue (Phengaris arion) Small blue (Cupido minimus) Euphilotes, a subfamily consisting of blue butterflies El Segundo Blue (Euphilotes battoides) Blue morpho (disambiguation), several species in the genus Morpho
The holly blue is subject to marked population cycles which appear to be caused by interactions with the parasitoid ichneumon wasp Listrodromus nycthemerus. The wasp lays an egg on a holly blue caterpillar, inserting the egg into the caterpillar's body and the adult wasp emerges from the chrysalis, killing the chrysalis before its emergence.