Celastrina argiolus

BUTTERFLY INFO

Celastrina argiolus is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae on the island of Crete, Greece.

Scientific name

Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common name

Holly Blue

Classification

Family: Lycaenidae > Subfamily: Polyommatinae > Tribus: Polyommatini > Genus: Celastrina

Wingspan

Male to female: 30-35 mm

Appearance

It is a small blue butterfly when seen with open wings and pale grey-blue or silver-blue with small black spots underwing.

The female differs from the male; it has both wings broadly black-bordered, and the margin of the hindwing bears vestiges of ocelli.

Behavior

The butterfly flies very fast and rarely opens the wings when still. It is usually observed to fly high rather than low to the ground.

Habitat

Celastrina argiolus in Crete can be found in olive groves, vineyards, small clearings, mixed forests, and scrub.

Food plant

The polyphagous larva feeds on various plants i.e. Ericaceae (Arbutus unedo), Araliaceae (Hedera helix ssp helix), Fabaceae (Medicago sativa, Melilotus officinalis, Spartium junceum), Rosaceae (Rubus sanctus, Crataegus monogyna), Verbenaceae (Lantana camara), Hypericaceae (Hypericum perforatum), etc.

Flight period

The butterfly flies in at least 2 generations per year.

Remarks

The butterfly has a unique appearance in Crete and can’t be confused with other Lycaenidae species on the island.

Status*

Least Concern (LC)

(*Red List Greece, 2024)