See also - List of butterflys of Cyprus - Λίστα των πεταλούδων της Κύπρου
Family: Lycaenidae
Leptotes pirithous is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. Its common names are Lang's Short-tailed Blue and Common Zebra Blue
Leptotes pirithous is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. Its common names are Lang's Short-tailed Blue and Common Zebra Blue
Leptotes pirithous is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 21–29 mm in males and 24–30 mm in females. The uppersides of the wings are purple bluish in males, bluish-brown in female. The undersides are dark beige striped with white lines. The hindwings show marginal orange and black spots and two small tails. For the design of the undersides of the wings they can be confused with Lampides boeticus and Cacyreus marshalli. These butterflies fly from February to November depending on the location. They are regular migrants.
The larvae feed on the flowers and fruits of Fabaceae, Rosaceae and Plumbaginaceae species, including Plumbago capensis,Indigofera, Rynchosia, Vigna, Burkea, Mundulea, Melilotus, Crataegus, Quercus suber, Medicago sativa, Trifolium alexandrium,Arachis hypogaea, Lythrum, Calluna, Genista, Dorycnium, Lythrum salicaria, Calluna vulgaris, Onobrychis viciifolia, Ulex and Melilotus alba. A life cycle takes about 4–8 weeks, depending on the temperature.
This species can be found in southern Cyprus, Europe (Spain, France and Italy), along the Mediterranean coast, in Asia Minor up to the Himalayas, and in most of Africa and Madagascar.
This species prefers varied wasteland, cultivated areas and gardens.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Photos Nicosia 16/7/2015 by George Konstantinou
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