glaucopsyche alexis/glaucopsyche melanops

Green-underside Blue (glaucopsyche alexis) and Black-eyed Blue (glaucopsyche melanops)

2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.


4640_male_Var_14Apr07 - alexis	4613_male_Var_14Apr07 - alexis	11934_male_Alpes de Haute Provence_5Jul08 - alexis

10235_female_Var_6May08 - alexis	10557_female_Var_15May08 - alexis	1733_female_Var_6Jun06 - alexis

0155_female_Var_1May06 - alexis	5498_pair_Var_15May07 - alexis	9700_pair_Var_12Apr08 - alexis

10064_male_Var_26Apr08 - melanops	10066_male_Var_26Apr08 - melanops	4911_female_Var_22Apr07 - melanops

Alexis is a widespread and quite common early season butterfly, emerging in April but having largely disappeared by the time July arrives. The underside markings vary quite dramatically; the unh spots can be almost non-existent and the strong unf spots greatly reduced (the books seem to describe this as "variant"), when the female could almost be confused with the Mazarine Blue (cyaniris semiargus) if the forewing is tucked below the hindwing. The colour, as can be seen from these photos, is also highly variable, and one could be forgiven for thinking that the alexis shots were of several different species. The male upperside has a conspicuous wide black border, wider at the apex, and the female can vary from almost completely brown to having extensive blue in the basal areas of both forewings.

Melanops is very similar, the distinguishing feature being the grey marks around the underside margins of both wings. This can vary between just discernible, to quite strong. Melanops is a very early season species, emerging in April and largely disappearing by the end of the month. I have seen melanops only a few times, so these observations are based on limited experience. It is allegedly quite common, although I have not found it so in Var, where alexis by contrast is quite common and found in most localities.

4640: a male alexis upperside, with the characteristic black borders getting wider toward the apex. This serves to differentiate alexis from any other species in France. Altitude 140m.

4613: a male alexis puddling, fairly typical although with no unh post-discal spot in s5. Altitude 140m.

11934: I am really uncertain about this. One expert has expressed the view that it is not alexis. Comment invited.

10235: a female alexis, with very limited blue scales in the basal area.

10557: a female alexis, with rather more blue scales on both wings.

1733: alexis: again the unf post-discal series is not in line, and the underside ground colour is pale brown. The unh spots are very light, too.

0155: alexis: the unf post-discal spots are very large and the spot in s2 is clearly out of line (c.f. 1733, s1 spot just visible), and the unh spots are quite strong. In another photo of this specimen, it is seen egg-laying on this plant.

5498: a mating pair of alexis, female below. The male seems fairly normal, albeit with only three smallish unh post-discal spots, but the female is clearly green with a strong basal green flush, and a series of five small unh post-discal spots. I have never seen any alexis to be this clearly green, and I wonder to what extent this may be effected by the camera angle, although I do recall it appearing green in the field. Altitude 340m.

9700: another mating pair of alexis, although here they are more similar. I suspect the female is above as it has a greenish tinge whereas the lower butterfly is bluer and maybe therefore more likely to be male.

10064: a male melanops, showing what I would consider to be the characteristic paler, but strong, blue colour differentiating it from alexis which is generally a clear blue.

10066: the underside of 10064. The marginal marks are just about visible even in this distance shot.

4911: this female melanops with a distended unf black spot in s2 was only the second I had ever seen, but was considerably larger than the first, and larger than indicated in the books. The marginal marks clearly indicate melanops. Altitude 430m.

4640_male_Var_14Apr07 - alexis