Maculinea alcon
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| Maculinea alcon (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) |
Maculinea alcon, more commonly known as Alcon Blue or Alcon Large Blue is a Lycaenid butterfly (this family includes the blues, coppers and hairstreaks) and is found in Europe and Northern Asia.
The Alcon blue butterfly can be seen flying in mid to late summer. All large blue butterflies are rare because of this interaction with ants.
Generally, Lucaenidae species which have a myrmecophilous relationship with the ant genus Myrmica, are locked to primary host specificity. The Alcon blue is unusual in this regard in that it uses different host species in different locations throughout Europe. It is known to use Myrmica scabrinodis, Myrmica ruginodis, and Myrmica rubra as the primary host within differing European zones.
[edit] See also
- Maculinea alcon arenaria (Extinct Dutch subspecies)
[edit] References
- Gimenez Dixon (1996). Maculinea alcon. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 08 May 2006.
[edit] External links
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