Plebejus glandon

This article is about the butterfly species Argiades glandon. For other uses, see Arctic Blue (disambiguation).

Arctic Blue
File:Arctic Blue, Bonavista.jpg
A. g. aquilo, male, Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador
File:Plebejus glandon.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Subfamily:	Polyommatinae
Genus:	Agriades
Species:	A. glandon
Binomial name
Agriades glandon (de Prunner, 1798)
Synonyms
Papilio glandon de Prunner, 1798 Plebeius glandon Plebejus glandon (de Prunner, 1798)

The Arctic Blue or Glandon Blue (Agriades glandon) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. In North America it is found from Alaska east to Newfoundland, south through the mountains to Washington, northern Arizona, and northern New Mexico. In Europe, it is found in mountainous areas like the Pyrenees and Alps, as well as the far north. It is also found in parts of Russia, including Siberia, and Kamchatka.

The wingspan is 17–26 mm. The butterfly flies from mid-May to September depending on the location.

Recorded food plants include Astragalus species (including Astragalus alpinus), Androsace species (including Androsace bungeana and Androsace septentrionalis), Soldanella, Diapensia lapponica, Vaccinium, and Saxifraga species (including Saxifraga bronchialis, Saxifraga spinulosa, and Saxifraga oppositifolia).

Subspecies

• A. g. glandon (Pyrenees, Alps)
• A. g. aquilo (Arctic Europe and Arctic Canada)
• A. g. aquilina (Polar Tundra of Siberia)
• A. g. wosnesenskii (Srednesibirskoe, northeastern Siberia, Kamchatka)
• A. g. centrohelvetica (Switzerland)

External links

• Arctic Blue, Univ. of Alberta, Entomology Collection
• Arctic Blue, Butterflies and Moths of North America
• Lepidoptera of Norway