Scarce large blue

Scarce large blue
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Phengaris
Species:	P. teleius
Binomial name
	Phengaris teleius; Bergsträsser
	Distribution map
Synonyms
	Glaucopsyche teleius; Maculinea teleius (Bergsträsser, 1779)

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,^[1] Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

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

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.^[2] A recent microhabitat preference study indicates that grazing is necessary for maintaining the present distribution and abundance of these butterflies.^[3]

Sources

^ 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.
^ Tartally, A. and Varga, Z. 2008. Host ant use of Maculinea teleius in the Carpathian Basin (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). "Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae" 54(3): 257–268.
^ Batáry P. et al. 2007. Microhabitat preferences of Maculinea teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in a mosaic landscape European Journal of Entomology 104: 731–736.

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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[1] 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.

[2] Tartally, A. and Varga, Z. 2008. Host ant use of Maculinea teleius in the Carpathian Basin (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). "Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae" 54(3): 257–268.

[3] Batáry P. et al. 2007. Microhabitat preferences of Maculinea teleius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in a mosaic landscape European Journal of Entomology 104: 731–736.

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