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Species account
Bølleblåfugl
(Agriades optilete)
Knoch (1781)
Blåfugle (Lycaenidae)
CRBL
24865
Cranberry Blue (gb)
Violett Blåvinge (se)
Synonyms: [Vacciniina optilete] [Plebejus optilete]
Measurements:
WS: 28-30mm
Generations:
1
Flight period:
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification:
The male above is dark violet-blue with a clear white edge and narrow black rim. The female is basically brown above but with a varying degree of blue spread out from the center of the animal. Below they are both gray-beige with well-defined black spots encircled by white (more or less same size on fore- and hindwing). Characteristic for the species is 1-3 orange spots near the anal angle distally attached to a black eyespot filled with a iridescent blue.
Similar species:
Life stages:
Distribution:
C Alps, NE Europe, Macedonia, Japan and N America.
Habitat:
Moors and bogs and in N Sweden also clearings in mountain forests with plenty of lingonberry.
Behavior:
Often appears several kilometers away from bog habitat. Often rests in top of small birches or host plants, incl Kragefod (Comarum palustre) [Purple Marshlocks ~ Kråkklöver]. Females are exposed to web-trapping when laying eggs in the dense vegetation.
Status:
Declining in Denmark. Now only present in C and N Jylland and a few locations east of Storebælt. Widespread and common in rest of Nordic region.
Host plants:
Tranebær (Vaccinium oxycoccos) [Cranberry ~ Arándano Agrio ~ Tranbär]
Mose-Bølle (Vaccinium uliginosum) [Bog Blueberry ~ Arándano Negro ~ Odon]
Rosmarinlyng (Andromeda polifolia) [Bog-Rosemary ~ Rosling]
Tyttebær (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) [Lingonberry ~ Árandano Rojo ~ Lingon]
Klokkelyng (Erica tetralix) [Cross-leaved Heath ~ Brezo de Turbera ~ Klockljung]
Revling (Empetrum nigrum) [Crowberry ~ Camarina Negra ~ Kråkbär]
Mose-Bølle (Vaccinium uliginosum) [Bog Blueberry ~ Arándano Negro ~ Odon]
Rosmarinlyng (Andromeda polifolia) [Bog-Rosemary ~ Rosling]
Tyttebær (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) [Lingonberry ~ Árandano Rojo ~ Lingon]
Klokkelyng (Erica tetralix) [Cross-leaved Heath ~ Brezo de Turbera ~ Klockljung]
Revling (Empetrum nigrum) [Crowberry ~ Camarina Negra ~ Kråkbär]
Feeding plants:
Kragefod (Comarum palustre) [Purple Marshlocks ~ Kråkklöver]
Comment:
In Holmegaards Mose, Sjælland it flies in close proximity to idas (Foranderlig Blåfugl).
