Dusky large blue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dusky large blue
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Phengaris
Species:	P. nausithous
Binomial name
Phengaris nausithous (Bergsträsser, 1779)
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Synonyms
Glaucopsyche nausithous Maculinea nausithous (Bergsträsser, 1779) Lycaena arcas Rott.

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The dusky large blue (Phengaris nausithous) is a special type of butterfly. It belongs to the Lycaenidae family, which includes many small and colorful butterflies. This amazing insect lives in many countries across Europe and Asia.

Meet the Dusky Large Blue Butterfly

Where Do They Live?

You can find the dusky large blue butterfly in many different places. They live in countries like Armenia, Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland. They prefer to live in damp meadows. These are grassy areas that are often a bit wet. This is because their favorite plant, the great burnet, grows there.

What Do They Look Like?

This is what the underside of a dusky large blue butterfly looks like.

The male dusky large blue butterfly has blue wings on top. The female butterfly has wings that are more of a black-brown color. Both males and females have a unique underside. It is usually coffee-brown with a single row of spots. These spots are called ocelli, which means "little eyes." Sometimes, these spots can be smaller or even missing on some butterflies.

Their Special Life Cycle

The life of the dusky large blue butterfly is closely linked to a specific plant. This plant is called the Sanguisorba officinalis, also known as the great burnet. The female butterfly lays her eggs on this plant.

When the tiny caterpillars hatch, they first eat the flowers of the great burnet. Later, they move on to eat the leaves. These caterpillars are very small at first. They change color as they grow, from pale to purple-brown, and then to yellowish-brown.

The adult butterflies usually fly around in July and August. They often live in the same damp meadows where the great burnet plant grows.

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  A male Phengaris nausithous butterfly seen from above.

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  A male Phengaris nausithous butterfly seen from below.

Similar Butterflies

The dusky large blue butterfly looks a bit like some other butterflies. Here are a few that are similar:

• Scarce large blue
• Mountain Alcon blue
• Alcon large blue
• Large blue