Scarce large blue

The scarce large blue (Phengaris teleius) is a species of butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Northern Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

Maculinea teleius.jpg
There are six subspecies.

Phengaris teleius teleius Central Europe, Caucasus and West Siberia
Phengaris teleius chosensis (Matsumura, 1927) South Ussuri
Phengaris teleius euphemia (Staudinger, 1887) Amur Oblast, Ussuri
Phengaris teleius obscurata (Staudinger, 1892) Transbaikalia
Phengaris teleius sinalcon Murayama, 1992 North China
Phengaris teleius splendens (Kozhantshikov, 1924) Altai mountains, Sayan Mountains
^ Popović M. et al. 2014. Distribution and threats of Phengaris teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in northern Serbia. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 60(2): 173-183.
Biology

The larva of this species first feeds on Sanguisorba officinalis (great burnet), then moves onto ant nests and is a predator of the ant brood. Myrmica rubra and Myrmica scabrinodis have been reported as frequent host ant species. A recent microhabitat preference study indicates that grazing is necessary for maintaining the present distribution and abundance of these butterflies.

Sources

 Data related to Maculinea teleius at Wikispecies
 Media related to Maculinea teleius at Wikimedia Commons
World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. Maculinea teleius

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