Pseudophilotes bavius

Pseudophilotes bavius, the Bavius blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Morocco, Algeria, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Asia Minor, southern Russia and northern Kazakhstan.[1] The species occurs in small isolated populations on flower-rich, dry grassland, on dry, stony slopes and on open patches in shrub and in vineyards on calcareous soil.

Pseudophilotes bavius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Pseudophilotes
Species:
P. bavius
Binomial name
Pseudophilotes bavius
(Eversmann, 1832)
Synonyms
  • Lycaena bavius Eversmann, 1832
  • Lycaena bavius var. fatma Oberthür, 1890
  • Lycaena bavius egea Herrich-Schäffer, [1852]
  • Lycaena bavius casimiri Hemming, 1932
  • Lycaena hungaricus (Dioszeghy, 1913)

The wingspan is 24–30 mm. Adults are on wing from April to May and again from June to July in two generations per year. There is usually one prolonged generation a year with adults on wing from late April to mid-July. In Peloponnesus, a partial second generation may occur.[2]

The larvae feed on Salvia species, including S. officinalis, S. nutans, S. verbenaca and S. verticillata. They feed mostly on the flowers, but sometimes also on the leaves. They are frequently found with ants. Hibernation takes place in the pupal stage.[3]

Subspecies
  • P. b. bavius (steppe of southern Russia, northern Kazakhstan)
  • P. b. casimiri Hemming, 1932 (Peloponnesus)
  • P. b. hungarica (Dioszeghy, 1913) (Transylvania)
  • P. b. fatma (Oberthür, 1890) (Morocco: Middle Atlas, Algeria: Aures Mountains)
  • P. b. egea (Herrich-Schäffer, [1852]) (Caucasus)
  • P. b. macedonicus Schultze, 1958 (Macedonia)
  • P. b. eitschbergeri (Koçak, 1975) (Turkey)
  • P. b. vanicola (Koçak, 1977) (Turkey)

References
  1. Pseudophilotes at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms
  2. treknature
  3. C. Van Swaay; et al. (2012). "Dos and Don'ts for butterflies of the Habitats Directive of the European Union". Nature Conservation. 1: 73–153. doi:10.3897/natureconservation.1.2786.


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