The silver-studded blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It has bright blue wings rimmed in black with white edges and silver spots on its hindwings, lending it the name of the silver-studded blue. P. argus can be found across Europe and east across the Palearctic, but it is most often studied in the United Kingdom where the species has experienced a severe decline in population due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
Image: Silver studded blue (Plebeius argus) male
Image: Silver studded blue (Plebejus argus) female underside Bulgaria
Figs 3 larva before last moult, 3a larva after last moult, 3b pupa
Plebeius argus egg
Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies, with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly species.
Lycaenidae
Brown hairstreak (Thecla betulae)
Loxura atymnus
Mating Cyaniris semiargus