Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus)

🦋 Mazarine Blue (Cyaniris semiargus) – Detailed Overview

🧬 Taxonomy & Classification

• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Lycaenidae (Gossamer-winged butterflies)
• Genus: Cyaniris (previously grouped with Polyommatus)
• Species: semiargus
• Common Name: Mazarine Blue
• Authority: (Rottemburg, 1775)

🌍 Distribution & Habitat

📍 Geographic Range

• Found across much of continental Europe, parts of Scandinavia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and temperate areas of Russia.
• Extinct or greatly reduced in parts of Western Europe, especially the UK, where it vanished around 1906.

🏞️ Preferred Habitat

• Flower-rich meadows, pastures, roadside verges, alpine grasslands, and lightly grazed areas.
• Requires moist, unimproved grassland with host plants and nectar sources.
• Altitude: Sea level up to 2000 m in alpine regions.

🧍‍♂️ Identification

♂ Male

• Upperside: Deep velvety blue wings with a narrow black border and white fringe.
• Underside: Pale grey-brown with small black spots without orange lunules (key distinguishing feature).

♀ Female

• Upperside: Brown with a hint of blue near the base, sometimes lightly dusted.
• Underside: Similar to male, pale greyish-brown with clear black dots, no orange markings.

🔍 Wingspan

• 28–32 mm.

🐛 Caterpillar

• Pale green, with faint darker striping and fine hairs.
• Resembles other Lycaenid larvae but more slender and with less pronounced segmentation.

📆 Life Cycle

🔄 Voltinism

• Univoltine (one generation per year).

🐣 Reproductive Cycle

1. Eggs: Laid singly on the underside of host plant leaves or flowers.
2. Larvae: Feed mainly at night; undergo several moults.
3. Pupation: In grass tussocks or leaf litter.
4. Overwintering Stage: As pupa.

📅 Flight Period

• May to July (varies by region and altitude).

🌿 Ecology & Diet

🐛 Larval Host Plants

• Clovers, especially:
  • Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
  • Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum)
  • Other legumes occasionally used.

🦋 Adult Nectar Sources

• Red clover, bird’s-foot trefoil, thistles, knapweed, and other grassland wildflowers.

🤝 Symbiosis & Ant Interaction

• Unlike many Lycaenid species, Cyaniris semiargus does not have a strong mutualistic relationship with ants (myrmecophily is minimal or absent).

🧬 Distinguishing Features

📉 Conservation Status

• IUCN Status: Least Concern globally, but declining in many areas.
• UK Status: Extinct (last seen in early 20th century).

⚠️ Threats

• Habitat loss due to:
  • Agricultural intensification
  • Overgrazing or undergrazing
  • Fertilizer and pesticide use
  • Drainage of wet meadows

🛡️ Conservation Measures

• Protection of flower-rich grasslands.
• Promote low-intensity grazing and mowing.
• Maintain populations of wild clover and legumes.
• Monitoring and habitat restoration in decline areas.

💡 Interesting Facts

• The name “Mazarine” comes from Cardinal Mazarin, whose robe color may have inspired the term for the deep blue hue.
• Often confused with Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), but easily distinguished by the absence of orange on the underside.
• A butterfly of quiet meadows – its decline is a bioindicator of vanishing traditional grassland ecosystems.

📚 References & Further Reading

• Butterfly Conservation Europe: Cyaniris semiargus profile
• Tolman & Lewington (2009). Collins Butterfly Guide.
• IUCN Red List: Cyaniris semiargus
• UK Biodiversity Action Plan (historic data)

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