Turquoise Blue (polyommatus dorylas)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 3516_male_Var_10Aug06 | 12572_male_Isere_10Jul08 | 7159_female_Var_18Jun07 |
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| 2857_female_Var_21Jul06 | 7152_female_Var_18Jun07 |
An exquisite butterfly, rarely encountered (by me) in more than ones and twos, although not uncommon at medium altitudes. Apart from the distinctive and dazzling male upperside colour, the male dorylas can be differentiated from many similar-sized blues by the black borders which extend inward along the veins. The underside is also quite variable and distinctive because of the large black spots on the unf combined with the very feint, often white, unf marginal marks with pale orange (more or less) heart-shaped unh submarginal marks. Although most of these photos are from Var, I have also seen it in the Pyrenees. It seems to occur mostly at altitudes of 750m plus, even at 2000m. It can easily be missed because it is superficially similar to the Common Blue (P. icarus).
This species is referred to as plebicula dorylas in T&L, but now seems to be classified as a member of the polyommatus family.
3516: this actually shows the true flashing turquoise-blue colour from which it gets its name. Altitude 750m.
12572: a male taking salts (puddling), the characteristic marginal white band on both wings is a sure indicator of dorylas. Dorylas often has a smudgy unclean feel to it, especially the unf. The orange lunules are usually more distinct and heart-shaped than 12572.
7160: a female, the upperside of 7152. Typical dorylas, 7159 is very fresh with a nice strong clean brown ground colour, setting off the orange lunules. Altitude 780m.
2857: a delicately marked female, with a pleasant uns pale grey-brown ground colour. The unf post-discal spots (just visible) are very large, almost touching the lunules in s3-5. The orange submarginal lunules are quite distinctly heart-shaped, even to the forewing costa. Altitude 2050m.
7152: a dark female (c.f. 2857) with a commonly-found smudgy feel to the unf margins. The unf post-discal series of black spots, usually large in dorylas, seem exceptionally large here, with slight aberrations of additional spots. The heart-shape of the unh orange lunules is more apparent here, especially in s2. Altitude 780m.
