Last Updated on February 15, 2026 12:52 PM by Miroslav Maric
English name:
Green-underside Blue
Full scientific name:
Glaucopsyche alexis (Poda, 1761)
Croatian name:
Zelenokrili plavac
Flight Period and Life Cycle
1 brood per year. During development, the caterpillar lives in symbiosis with certain species of ants (R. Obregón, 2015).
Distribution in Croatia
More common along the coast. Check the included map.
External Morphology Characteristics
In males, the upper side of wings is blue in color. In margin zone there is a dark border. The border is wider in the apex. In females, the upper side of wings is dark brown. The underside of the wings is grayish with a greenish-blue basal zone on the hindwing. There is a series of larger black spots on the forewing. Moreover, on the hindwing, the spots are smaller or sometimes they are even absent.
Behavior
Imago often feeds with nectar of flowers.
Larval host-plants
Astragalus glycyphyllos, A. onobrychis, Calicotome villosa, Colutea arborescens, Coronilla varia, Melilotus albus, Spartium junceum, Cytisus spp., Medicago spp., Onobrychis spp.
Habitat
Likes warm grass fields with bushes, overgrown meadows and woodland edges. Elevations: 0-1400m.
Gallery
Literature
(R. Obregón at al., 2015): Parasitoid and ant interactions of some Iberian butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera). Shilap-Revista De Lepidopterologia. Vol 43, str 439-454, (2015)