Hodges#4384

Plebejus glandon

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Genus: Plebejus
Species: glandon

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Plebejus glandon: /ˈplɛbɛjus ˈɡlandɔn/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Agriades glandon by

This image is created by user Joram de Gans at Observation.org, a global biodiversity recording project.
. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Agriades glandon rustica P1470919a by
xpda. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Agriades glandon rustica P1470920a by
xpda. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

BLUE, ARCTIC (Plebejus glandon) (7-19-2015) 10,700 ft, wolf creek pass, mineral co, co -02 (20081790320) by ALAN SCHMIERER from near Patagonia, AZ, USA. Used under a CC0 license.

Agriades glandon P1220758a by
xpda. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

BLUE, ARCTIC (Plebejus glandon) (6-14-13) 8800ft, hannigan ck, 2 m north of hannigan lodge, greenlee co, az (1) (9059083533) by ALAN SCHMIERER. Used under a CC0 license.

Summary

Agriades glandon, commonly known as the Arctic blue or Glandon blue, is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family found across Eurasia and North America, characterized by its distinctive wing coloration and habitat preferences.

Physical Characteristics

Wingspan of 17–26 mm; males have silver-coloured to steely blue or pale shining blue upper wings with brown edges; females have almost entirely brown upper wings with a slightly bluish basal region; both sexes have white-rimmed black dots on the forewing underside and striking white spots on the hindwing underside, sometimes with orange-colored dots.

Identification Tips

Distinguishable from other bluish species in Europe by geographic variability in wing patterns; confused with Aricia nicias and Agriades pyrenaicus in overlapping ranges.

Habitat

Arctic tundra, subarctic and subalpine forests, mountain meadows, and bogs.

Distribution

Found in North America from Alaska to Newfoundland, south through the mountains to Washington, northern Arizona, and northern New Mexico. In Europe, found in the Pyrenees, Alps, and far north, including parts of Russia such as Siberia and Kamchatka.

Diet

Larval food plants include Androsace species, Soldanella species, Oxytropis campestris, and various Saxifraga species.

Life Cycle

Adults typically fly from mid-May to September, depending on location.

Evolution

Taxonomically lumped with the genus Plebejus; geographic variances noted among subspecies and confusion with similar species.

Similar Taxa

Aricia nicias
Agriades pyrenaicus
Agriades zullichi
Agriades aquilo

Misconceptions

Some authors treat the A. g. aquilo subspecies as a separate species; classification and relationships among subspecies are not universally agreed upon.