Long-tailed Blue
Lampides boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)
Status
Description
A small butterfly with a fawn underside with wavy white lines, with a tail on the hindwing. The males have a violet-blue upperside, and the females are brown with a blue suffusion. There are two black spots by the tail on both sides of the wing. The underside of the wings are distinctive, and could only be confused with Leptotes pirithous, which has more extensive white markings on the underside. The butterfly is found on dry open ground, and has multiple generations a year.
Habitat Requirements
Given the highly migratory nature of this species it is unlikely to be restricted to any particular habitat. However, it is frequently encountered in gardens or road side verges on the flowers of common plants such as Bramble and Inula.
Larval Foodplants
Bladder-senna Colutea arborescens, Lathyrus grandiflorus (large pink/purple flowers), Garden Pea Pisum sativum subsp. biflorum, Garden Pea Pisum sativum subsp. sativum. Anne Sordinas observed oviposition, in Corfu, on Lathyrus latifolius and Wisteria spp. possibly sinensis.
John Denne and Dan Danahar observed oviposition on Plumbago spp. possibly auriculata.
Observations
A globally distributed species that has shown a marked spread northwards in continental Europe over the last ten years. It is a resident on Corfu whose abundance must be affected by major migration events.
Mark Colvin observed larvae burrowing into the inside of the seed pods of Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea Lathyrus latifolius, apparently for protection, when captive rearing this species in the UK. However, Dan Danahar did not observe this behaviour replicated when he reared the species.
*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Long-tailed Blue submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.
First and Last Sightings
| Year | First | Last/latest | # Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 04/01/2023 | 30/10/2023 | 299 days |
| 2022 | 30/05/2022 | 28/12/2022 | 212 days |
| 2021 | 25/05/2021 | 01/12/2021 | 190 days |
Number of Observations
| Year | Number of observations |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 214 |
| 2022 | 101 |
| 2021 | 187 |
| Grand Total | 502 |
Distribution Map
Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.Flight Times for the Long-tailed Blue (2023)
The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023
Flight Times for the Long-tailed Blue (All Data)
The chart below shows flight data by month since 1st January 2021
Taxonomy
- Vernacular/Common Name: Long-tailed Blue
- Family: Lycaenidae (Leach, 1815)
- Sub-family: Polyommatinae (Swainson 1831)
- Tribe: Polyommatini (Swainson 1831)
- Sub-tribe: Lampidina ()
- Genus: Lampides (HĂĽbner, 1819)
- Species: boeticus (Linnaeus, 1767)
References
For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.
