Polyommatus sagratrox

Polyommatus (Plebicula) sagratrox, the Sierra de la Sagra blue, is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is endemic to Spain in the south-east of the Iberian Peninsula.

Polyommatus sagratrox
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Polyommatus
Subgenus:	Plebicula
Species:	P. sagratrox
Binomial name
Polyommatus sagratrox (Aistleitner, 1986)

Adults are on wing from July (normally) to August. The host plant for the larvae is Anthyllis vulneraria microcephala, an endemic plant from the north-east Andalusia fegion of south-eastern Spain.

Synonyms

• Plebicula sagratrox Aistleitner, 1986
• Polyommatus golgus sagratrox (Aistleitner, 1986)
• Plebicula golgus sagratrox (Aistleitner, 1986)

Ecology and distribution

• Type locality: Sierra de la Sagra in the north-east of the Province of Granada, Spain.
• Distribution (see Gil-T., 2013): only in four separated and small colonies: Sierra de la Sagra, Sierra de Guillimona and Sierra Seca in the north-eastern Granada province; and Sierra de la Cabrilla in north-eastern Jaén province.
• Its distribution is the most reduced of all Papilionoidea endemic species of Spain: the total occupied area by the four colonies is 0.82 km².
• Altitude of its biotopes: 1900–2300 m (note: altitude very different from Polyommatus golgus: 2500–3200 m).
• Host plant: Anthyllis vulneraria microcephala, an endemic plant from the north-east Andalusia Region, SE. Spain.

Taxonomy

• Tolman (1994) considers to Polyommatus sagratrox as a subspecies of Polyommatus golgus basing on some questionable and unjustified arguments (see discussion in Gil-T. & Ibáñez (2009)).
• P. golgus and P. sagratrox show an ecology (altitude of their biotopes, larval host plants, soil substrate, etc.), morphology and ethology very differentiated (see Gil-T (2003, 2013) and Gil-T. & Ibáñez (2009)).

References

• Aistleitner, E. (1986): Plebicula sagratrox spec. n. neue Bläulingsart aus Südost-Spanien (Lep., Lycaenidae) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Atalanta 16: 397–404.
• Gil-T., F. (2003): Polyommatus (Plebicula) sagratrox : ecología, morfología comparada de sus estadios preimaginales con los de Polyommatus (Plebicula) golgus (Hübner, 1813), taxonomía y nuevos argumentos para su validez específica (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Bol. Soc. Ent. Aragonesa 33: 219–227. Full article: .
• Gil-T., F. (2007): The correct hostplant of Polyommatus golgus (Hübner, 1813): Anthyllis vulneraria pseudoarundana H. Lindb. (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Atalanta 38 (1/2): 199–202, 311. Full article: .
• Gil-T., F. (2010): The correct hostplant of Polyommatus sagratrox (Aistleitner, 1986): Anthyllis vulneraria microcephala (Willk.) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Atalanta 41 (3/4): 321–322, 482. Full article: .
• Gil-T., F. (2013): Actualización de la distribución de Polyommatus sagratrox (Aistleitner, 1986), con el primer registro para la provincia de Jaén (SE. España). Notas sobre morfología, ecología y taxonomía (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Bol. Soc. Andaluza Entomología 22: 94-103. Artículo completo: .
• Gil-T., F. & S. Ibáñez (2009): New localities for Polyommatus sagratrox and Pseudochazara hippolyte (Esper, 1783) in Granada province (S. Spain), with considerations on the taxonomic status of the first taxon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae; Satyrinae). Atalanta 40 (1/2): 185–190, 332. Full article: .
• Ibáñez, S. & F. Gil-T. (2009): First records of the endemic Polyommatus golgus and Agriades zullichi in Almeria province (E. Sierra Nevada, S. Spain) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Atalanta 40 (1/2): 191–192, 332. Full article: .
• Tolman, T. (1994): Concerning the pre-imaginal stadia and taxonomy of Polyommatus (Plebicula) sagratrox (Aistleitner, 1986) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). Phegea 22 (1): 23–27.