Amanda's Blue, Niña estriada

Description:

It is distinctly larger than most blues, which is quite apparent when they are on the wing. The male upperside is a silver-greyish blue, often, but not always, with a darker upf border of broadly consistent width (not borne out by these photos, though). The female upperside is brown often with a near-full set of uph orange lunules and sometimes some vestigial ones on the upf, although not always so. The male underside is quite characteristic and cannot really be confused with any other species. The female underside is similar with a consistent rich creamy brown colour and the same strong unh lunules and black post-discal series of spots often touching, and usually forming a clear right-angle. The larval foodplants are various Vicia species ( Fabaceae ). The larvae are attended by ants of the genera Formica, Lasius, Myrmica and Tapinoma. Males commonly aggregate with other Polyommatinae to imbibe mineralised moisture fro the edges of puddles and small streams. Both sexes visit a wide range of flowers for nectar. The butterflies roost overnight on grass heads.

Habitat:

Spotted on a clearing at a dispersed Holm oak and pine tree forest

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/200 sec.; f/32; ISO Speed Rating: 800. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.