| Family | Lycaenidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Polyommatinae |
| Genus | Polyommatus |
| Species | dorylas |
| Authority | ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) |
| English Name | Turquoise Blue |
| European Red List 2010 | Near Threatened (NT) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Near Threatened (NT) |
| European Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| Habitats Directive | |
| Bern Convention | |
| CITES |
The Turquoise Blue likes the warmth, occurring on dry, flower-rich slopes and calcareous grassland, often where there is shelter from a wood or from bushes. The butterflies are nearly always seen on calcareous ground. The populations are usually small in mountainous areas. The female lays her eggs on Kidney-vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), depositing them onto the underside of the leaves and also on the sepals. The newly-hatched caterpillars feed by scraping off the undermost layer of cells, so making little “windows” in the leaves. Later, they feed on the whole leaf. They are attended by various ant species, including those belonging to the genera Myrmica, Lasius, and Formica. The caterpillars pupate in the litter layer. The Turquoise Blue mostly has two generations, but at higher altitudes and in the north of its range, it is single-brooded. Hibernation takes place as a small larva.
Albania / Andorra / Austria / Belarus / Belgium (Regionally Extinct) / Belgium: Wallonia (Regionally Extinct) / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Czechia / France / France: Mainland / Germany / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Hungary / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Lithuania / Luxembourg (Regionally Extinct) / North Macedonia / Montenegro / Poland / Romania / European Russia / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Sweden / Switzerland / Ukraine /