Holly blue; Náyade

Description:

Small butterfly , 2.5 to 3 cm in size, with larger females than males. The front or upper side of the wings of the males has a cobalt blue or pale violet color. The forewings (between 13 and 17 mm) have the margins and the apex of black color, and the hindwings are also bordered with dark with a point at the apex. The reverse is of a very pale blue, almost whitish; The forewings have a dark line on the distal part of the cell, short black strokes in the postdiscal series and traces of lines in the submarginal zone. The hindwings have three small black dots bordered of white in the basal area, a line in the cell, two other points in the disc area closest to the wing edge and a series of black points bordered by white. The females are very similar, with the reverse of the wings almost equal to that of the males and the anverse of cobalt blue and black.

Habitat:

Spotted in an open oak forest (Q. pyrenaica). Reserva de la Biosfera Real Sitio de San Ildefonso-El Espinar

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/500 sec.; f/11; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm. No flash fired