Polyommatus astrarche
Encyclopedia
The Orange-bordered Argus( Polyommatus astrarche) is a species of lycaenid
butterfly found in many parts of the Palearctic
region.
Upperside is brown with a silky sheen in certain lights. Fore wing has a black spot on the discocellulars. Hind wing has an anticiliary black line. Fore and hind wings have a subterminal, transverse, slightly curved series of black spots, inwardly bordered by a transverse series of orange-red lunules; cilia white, spotted inwardly at the terminations of the veins with black. Underside : ground-colour a warm dark grey. Fore wing has a spot on the discocellulars, a transverse, discal, bisinuate series of seven spots, a transverse, subterminal, slightly curved series of six spots and an anticiliary line, black; the discocellular spot and the discal spots encircled with white, the subterminal spots inwardly bordered by larger orange-red spots, which in turn are inwardly margined narrowly with black, the anterior ones with specks of white again on their inner sides; outwardly the spots of the subterminal series are conspicuously bordered with white; cilia grey. Hindwing has a transverse, subbasal series of four spots, followed by a spot in middle of interspace 7, another at the base of interspace 6, a speck on the discocellulars, and an outwardly oblique, somewhat sinuate posterior, discal series of five spots, black, all enclosed with white which colour forms a comparatively large postdiscal patch; beyond is a strongly curved series of nine orange-red larger spots succeeded by a subterminal similarly curved series of seven black spots on a white ground, and an anticiliary black line; the tornal three of the orange-red series of spots are coalescent; cilia white, dusky grey at the terminations of the veins. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen brown, the shafts of the antenna ringed with white; beneath: the club of the antennae, the palpi, thorax and abdomen white, the palpi with some stiff black hairs.
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Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
butterfly found in many parts of the Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
region.
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
Upperside is brown with a silky sheen in certain lights. Fore wing has a black spot on the discocellulars. Hind wing has an anticiliary black line. Fore and hind wings have a subterminal, transverse, slightly curved series of black spots, inwardly bordered by a transverse series of orange-red lunules; cilia white, spotted inwardly at the terminations of the veins with black. Underside : ground-colour a warm dark grey. Fore wing has a spot on the discocellulars, a transverse, discal, bisinuate series of seven spots, a transverse, subterminal, slightly curved series of six spots and an anticiliary line, black; the discocellular spot and the discal spots encircled with white, the subterminal spots inwardly bordered by larger orange-red spots, which in turn are inwardly margined narrowly with black, the anterior ones with specks of white again on their inner sides; outwardly the spots of the subterminal series are conspicuously bordered with white; cilia grey. Hindwing has a transverse, subbasal series of four spots, followed by a spot in middle of interspace 7, another at the base of interspace 6, a speck on the discocellulars, and an outwardly oblique, somewhat sinuate posterior, discal series of five spots, black, all enclosed with white which colour forms a comparatively large postdiscal patch; beyond is a strongly curved series of nine orange-red larger spots succeeded by a subterminal similarly curved series of seven black spots on a white ground, and an anticiliary black line; the tornal three of the orange-red series of spots are coalescent; cilia white, dusky grey at the terminations of the veins. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen brown, the shafts of the antenna ringed with white; beneath: the club of the antennae, the palpi, thorax and abdomen white, the palpi with some stiff black hairs.
Distribution
The Palearctic Region (except the Polar area). The Himalayas: Chitral, Kashmir, Western Himalayas, Baluchistan (PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
).