GreenEye Ecotours and Images

Our four Large Blues (Maculinea spp.). There was a great article presented recently on Surfbirds, which give me an idea to summarize the situation of our Large Blues here in the Carpathian-basin and around. Luckily we are still having large population of each of them, and even we have places where you can see them all on one spot. Here is some pictures about these gorgoues blues and some comments about their status, distribution and taxonomy.
15 August, 2009

Alcon Blue. Quite widespread but uncommon butterfly in the Carpathian-basin, typical for hilly areas, with very complex taxonomy. The species using Gentiana pneumonanthe and G. cruciata here as a foodplant, while many scientist considered it like two taxa under the name M. alcon and M. xerophily. Several new taxa were described, now all of them synonims, inc. M.a.sevastos, curiosa, limitanea. The balcanic M. tolistus and the high-alpine M.rebeli are probably bona species, but still require further researches. Now all taxa in the Carpathian-basin considered to be part of the nominateform. All the Large Maculineas lives in symbiosis with certain ant species (Myrmica spp.)

Gentiana pneumonanthe with eggs of the Alcon Blue.

Scarce Large Blue Common in Hungary on well-maintained meadows and wetlands, where its completely monophaguous with its foodplant, Sanguisorba officinale. Rare in Croatia and Romania, but there are some good population in Slovenia too.

Scarce Large Blue' female, laying eggs on the flower of S. officinalis.

Dusky Large Blue. Probably the rarest of the Central-European Maculineas. Very rare in Slovenia and Romania with 1-2 locations, unknown from Croatia, but still widespread and common at some spots here in Hungary, at our western borders. Sharing habitats with Scarce Large Blue, but much scarcer! :)

Sanguisorba officinalis, the foodplant of Scarce and Dusky Large Blues, and many other beauties...

...including Diachrysia zosimi, one of our most beautiful nightmoth (Noctuidae) © Gabor Vasuta jun.

Large Blue. We have two forms, one is a classic M. arion, the other phenotypically resembling the so-called M. ligurica (genetically surely different). They are different by their flying period and foodplants as well (Thymus spp. vs. Origanum vulgare).

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