| Family | Lycaenidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Polyommatinae |
| Genus | Leptotes |
| Species | pirithous |
| Authority | (Linnaeus, 1767) |
| English Name | Lang's Short-tailed Blue |
| European Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
| European Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| Habitats Directive | |
| Bern Convention | |
| CITES |
The Lang’s Short-tailed Blue is a small, inconspicuous butterfly that occurs in flower-rich places and on rough vegetation. It is often seen near scrub and on fields of Lucerne (Medicago sativa). The eggs are laid on various leguminous plants, such as melilots (Melilotus spp.), Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), and also species of Rosaceae and Plumbaginaeceae. The caterpillar feeds on the flowers and seeds of the foodplant and has been found in association with ants of the genus Lasius. The life cycle of the Lang’s Short-tailed Blue takes four to eight weeks, depending on the temperature. It is not known whether this species enters diapause, but if it does, it should be either in the egg or caterpillar stage.
Albania / Andorra (Regular Migrant) / Austria (Irregular Vagrant) / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Cyprus / Czechia (Irregular Vagrant) / France / France: Mainland / France: Corsica / Germany (Irregular Vagrant) / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Greece: Kirti (Crete) / Hungary (Irregular Vagrant) / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sardinia / Italy: Sicily / Liechtenstein (Irregular Vagrant) / Monaco / North Macedonia (Regular Migrant) / Malta / Moldova / Montenegro (Regular Migrant) / Poland (Irregular Vagrant) / Portugal / Portugal: Mainland / Portugal: Madeira Islands / Romania (Irregular Vagrant) / European Russia / San Marino / Serbia (Regular Migrant) / Serbia: Serbia (Regular Migrant) / Serbia: Kosovo (Regular Migrant) / Slovakia (Irregular Vagrant) / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Spain: Canary Islands / Spain: Balearic Islands / Spain: Sp. North African Territories / Switzerland (Irregular Vagrant) / European Türkiye / Ukraine (Irregular Vagrant) / United Kingdom: Gibraltar /