Lycaena butterfly - description, habitat, species

Thousands of species of butterflies inhabit the planet. Any color, size and shape of the wings delight people. Myths and legends are attributed to butterflies, they are associated with beliefs. For example, in ancient times, these beauties were considered the souls of the dead, so they were revered so.

One of the most beautiful butterflies is Lycaena. This beauty inhabits the entire planet and prefers steppe or tropical terrain. It attracts the eye with rich colors and shades. It is impossible to describe the polygonum in a few words, since it has many subspecies, and each of them has individual characteristics.

Appearance

Lymeca small size. The wingspan is from 2 to 4 cm, but in the tropics it can reach 6 cm. Wide front wings. And on the back there is sometimes a thin tail.

In color, males and females are very different: in males, the colors are brighter. Females have dark brown wings with yellow or orange spots along the edges, while males have such inclusions reduced or absent. On the wings of males, a blue or bright red hue appears. The most common color is blue or blue. Also found red and brown.

In adults, 6 legs. In males, the front pair is often poorly developed. The body, head and eyes are shaggy, bare rarely seen. Antennae of medium length.

Lymeca has many subspecies, each of which is characterized by an individual color.

Habitat

You can find it at the edge of the forest, near rivers or streams. Most often, a polyommatus does not fly from one habitat to another, so it does not leave its home all its life.

Lifestyle

Polyommatus is a day butterfly, loves heat and active Sun. She sleeps in a quiet place. It looks like a gentle fairy-tale creature, however, it has a wayward character. Males love to get into fights for habitats, attack strangers, butterflies of other species, and even small birds.

Polyommatus, by its nature, periodically communicates with ants. With the help of microwaves, it is able to attract the attention of the colony and control the manner of behavior of ants.

Caterpillars are frequent visitors to anthills. They settle there and live in the winter. They feed on the larvae of ants. Then there is a transformation into a chrysalis. A butterfly emerges from it in a month, which no longer needs to live in an anthill.

Diet

After the transformation, the polyommatus has a certain supply of nutrients that the caterpillar in the form of a pupa has accumulated. However, it quickly ends and the insect needs to be fed in order to grow and start offspring.

Like all types of butterflies, Lycaena prefers flower nectar, using a thin proboscis. In addition, the diet of some subspecies includes aphid nectar, tree sap, rotting fruit and bird droppings.

Propagation method

For a year, 1 individual produces 2 generations. The breeding season begins in late spring and continues throughout the summer. The insect undergoes a series of transformations, starting from the egg stage and ending with a full-fledged butterfly.

The caterpillar, which was born in the spring, grows and develops quite quickly. Summer individuals can become a butterfly only after 9-10 months.

According to biological information, Lycaenidae live very little in comparison with other species. A butterfly can live a maximum of 4 days.

Lycaenidae subspecies

This species has many branches.Each of them has its own characteristics in coloring. Describing all subspecies is unrealistic. You can only consider the most common of them.

1. Lycaena is greenish. It can be found in the southern and central region of Europe. This subspecies prefers to live near the mountain slopes. Its distinctive feature is its miniature size. On average, the wingspan of a polyommatus greenish does not exceed 2 cm. In the male, the back is light blue with a brown glimpse, and in the female, on the contrary, the back is brownish with a blue glow. Below the wing is decorated with a snow-white stripe.
2. Lycaena Icarus. It lives throughout the European territory, despite differences in climatic conditions. He likes hot and sunny weather. You can meet a butterfly in the steppe, field and in the meadow. For a year brings 1 generation. Size is also small, maximum 2 cm. Males are blue-violet, females are brown. Each individual has a small spot at the bottom of its wings. According to him, biologists distinguish this subspecies from others.
3. Lycaena Marcida. He lives in the Caucasus. The size of an individual does not exceed 15 mm. The outer side of the wing is olive in color, which shimmers with bronze, and the inside is gray.
4. Lycaena pea. It occurs most often in the southern part of Europe, and in spring it moves closer to the north. Habitats: meadow, garden and forest. Size does not exceed 18 mm. The main difference from other subspecies is the presence of short thin tails on the hind wings. The males are blue-violet, the females are ashen-black.
5. Polyommatus steppe coal. Most individuals live in Russia, and especially in the Altai region. The size of each individual is a maximum of 14 mm. The color is dark brown, regardless of the sex of the individual. The wings are dotted with white blotches. The body is brown.
6. Lycaena heaven. Settled almost throughout European territory. Prefers to live in the mountains, in meadows or in forest glades. The wingspan reaches 3 cm. On the inside of the wing there are black specks that distinguish the Lycaenidae from other subspecies. The males are blue-violet, the female is brown.
7. Polyommatus Maleagra. Distributed in southern Europe. He loves sunlight and plenty of flowers. It settles in hilly areas. In sizes it can reach 18 mm. Male and female individuals have rich blue wings. The edges are framed by a black tint. The rim of females is wider than that of males.