The great spotted blue (P. atroguttata), one of the "traditional" Phengaris.
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Subfamily:
Polyommatinae
Tribe:
Polyommatini
Genus:
Phengaris Doherty, 1891
Synonyms
Maculinea (van Eecke, 1915)
Phengaris is a genus of gossamer-winged butterflies in the subfamily Polyommatinae. Commonly, these butterflies are called large blues, which if referring to a particular species is P. arion, a species resident in Europe and some parts of Asia.
Underside of the large blue (P. arion), formerly in Maculinea in Rabastens-de-Bigorre, Hautes-Pyrénées, France
Phengaris is currently defined to include the genus Maculinea. The type species of the latter was the Alcon blue ("M." alcon). This species was found to be less closely related to most other supposed members of Maculinea than the traditional Phengaris species, and hence the two genera were merged to form a monophyletic group. Alternatively, Maculinea could be restricted to the one or two species of "Alcon" blues, and the rest of it be separated as a new genus. But this would create two very small genera, which is generally avoided by modern taxonomists. As Phengaris is the older name, it thus replaces Maculinea.[1]
Maculinea was alternatively considered to be a subgenus of Glaucopsyche. But while Glaucopsyche and Phengaris (including Maculinea) are certainly close relatives, they are unlikely to be that close.[citation needed]
The most recently discovered species in the genus is P. xiushani, first reported in 2010 and found in undisturbed forested mountains, unlike all the other members which live in grasslands over their entire range of distribution.[2]
^Brower (2008)
^"New Species of Large Blue Butterfly Discovered". Science Daily. 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
species (Gentiana pneumonanthe in the case of Phengaris alcon and Gentiana cruciata in the case of Phengaris rebeli). The species can be seen flying in mid-...
blue butterfly are speckled with black dots.[citation needed] Phengaris arion ♂ Phengaris arion ♂ △ Gynandromorph L. arion L. (83 c). Larger, above of...
kondakovi. Phengaris rebeli rebeli (Hirschke, 1904) Central and Southern Europe Phengaris rebeli cordidula (Jachontov, [1909]) Caucasus Major Phengaris rebeli...
media related to Phengaris xiushani. Wikispecies has information related to Phengaris xiushani. Notes on and key to the genus Phengaris (s. str.) (Lepidoptera...
Phengaris nausithous ♂ Phengaris nausithous ♂ △ Scarce large blue Phengaris teleius Mountain Alcon blue Phengaris rebeli Alcon large blue Phengaris alcon...
rare. Phengaris atroguttata atroguttata northwest India, west China and Taiwan Phengaris atroguttata juenana (Forster, 1940) Yunnan Phengaris atroguttata...
meadows, at an altitude of 200–1,600 metres (660–5,250 ft) above sea level. Phengaris rebeli is an endangered butterfly which feeds upon G. cruciata. Female...
The scarce large blue (Phengaris teleius) is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic...
The Dutch alcon blue (Phengaris alcon arenaria) was a subspecies of the alcon blue butterfly (Phengaris alcon). There is not much known about this subspecies...
found in marshes and moorlands. It is the host-plant of the Alcon blue (Phengaris alcon). Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gentiana pneumonanthe....
these larvae and they in turn gather honeydew secretions. Large blue (Phengaris arion) caterpillars trick Myrmica ants into taking them back to the ant...
media related to Phengaris albida. Wikispecies has information related to Phengaris albida. Notes on and key to the genus Phengaris (s. str.) (Lepidoptera...
are indistinguishable to the ant. Larvae of the mountain Alcon blue, Phengaris rebeli, similarly mimic Myrmica ants and feed on their brood. The parasitoid...
officinalis is an important food plant for the European large blue butterflies Phengaris nausithous and P. teleius. Use is made of its extensive root system for...
Fibularhizoctonia can be parasitic or mutualistic. The large blue butterfly, Phengaris arion (formerly Maculinea arion), exhibits a unique parasitic relationship...
carnivorous, and others are even parasitic. Some lycaenid species such as Phengaris rebeli are social parasites of Myrmica ant nests. A species of Geometridae...
xerces (extinct) – Xerces blue Icaricia icarioides fenderi – Fender's blue Phengaris arion – large blue Polyommatus icarus – common blue Pseudozizeeria maha...
the commoner of the two.[citation needed] The larvae of the butterflies Phengaris alcon (Alcon blue) and P. teleius (scarce large blue) use M. rubra as...
The greater large blue (Phengaris arionides) is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Northeast China, Japan, and the Russian...
Alcon blue butterfly (Phengaris rebeli). The life cycle of I. eumerus is dependent on a butterfly, the mountain Alcon blue (Phengaris rebeli), the larvae...
termites, and bumblebees. Examples include the large blue butterfly, Phengaris arion, its larvae employing ant mimicry to parasitise certain ants, Bombus...
Entomologischen Vereins). Hans Hirschke described Alcis bastelbergeri and Phengaris rebeli in Jber. Wien. ent. Ver. Nonveiller, G. 1999: The Pioneers of the...
different mechanism is chemical mimicry, as seen in the parasitic butterfly Phengaris rebeli, which parasitizes the ant species Myrmica schencki by releasing...
food. Another example of a brood parasite is Phengaris butterflies such as Phengaris rebeli and Phengaris arion, which differ from the cuckoo in that the...
open location with diverse plant associations. The large blue butterfly Phengaris arion is much more specific in its requirements; it is found only in chalk...
relationship between the species Ichneumon eumerus and its host butterfly Phengaris rebeli. The butterfly larva is a parasite within Myrmica ant nests. The...
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