Polyommatus nivescens

Polyommatus nivescens, the mother-of-pearl blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Spain.[1] It is a small butterfly with a sexual dimorphism. The upperside of the male is very clear, with just a bluish beige reflection bordered by a thin grey line and a marginal line of small grey dots. The female upperside is brown, decorated with a marginal line of large orange maculae bordering the hindwings and part of the forewings. Both have a white fringe. The underside is light ochre marked with a marginal line of white lunules topped with orange, and adorned with a line of black dots circled in white very marked on the fore.

Polyommatus nivescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Polyommatus
Species:
P. nivescens
Binomial name
Polyommatus nivescens
(Keferstein, 1851)
Synonyms
  • Lycaena dorylas var. nivescens Keferstein, 1851
  • Plebicula nivescens

In Seitz it is described thus nivescens Kef. (= albicans Dup.& Gerh.) (80 i) is a form [of Polyommatus dorylas ] flying in Spain on limestone. The upperside of the male is dull grey-violet with a white silky gloss, similar to dolus, menalcas and coridon albicans. — Larva very similar to that of icarus, dark green, with black head, blackish dorsal line and yellow side-stripe; at each side of the dorsal line yellowish smears.[2]

It favours dry, scrubby calcareous rock sites. The larvae feed on Anthyllis vulneraria.

References
  1. Fauna Europaea
  2. Seitz, A. Seitz, A. ed. Band 1: Abt. 1, Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Tagfalter, 1909, 379 Seiten, mit 89 kolorierten Tafeln (3470 Figuren) This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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