[Movie File] Privet Tailless Blue Hairstreak (Artopoetes pryeri)
Artopoetes pryeri is known from China, Russia, Korea and Japan. The distribution is limited to the countries which surround Japan Sea. The appearance is quite unique as it looks like Blues rather than Zephyrus Hairstreaks. The larva feeds on Privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) and its allies.
In Japan this species is not so rare and can be seen at the small hills near urban areas. It appears once in a year from late May to mid-June at low elevation, from early July to mid-August at high elevation.
The author of this blog has a chance to visit nearby habitat a few days ago. This place is located in Kanagawa Prefecture next to Tokyo. This species is active in late afternoon. The population in this place is quite large and it sometimes looks like White Butterflies (Pieris spp.). In addition, it shows fairly blackish markings. This kind of geographical variation is one of the characteristics of this species. Many butterfly enthusiasts in Japan are interested in collecting this species from various localities.
(Hiratsuka-shi, Kanagawa, June 2012)
▲Blackish form from Kanagawa Prefecture
[Above:normal, Below:aberrant]
（after Butterflies No.3）
No comments:
Post a Comment