Polyommatus nephohiptamenos

(Brown and Coutsis, 1978)

Higgin's Anomalous Blue

Description:
Higgin's Anomalous Blue is a mountain butterfly, found above the tree-line on flower-rich, calcareous grasslands.
The males tend to roam outside their usual habitat. Onobrychis montana ssp. scardica, a sainfoin that only grows in the Balkans, is used as food plant.
The caterpillars hibernate when they are still small, the following spring feeding on the young leaves of the sainfoin. They are often found with ants.
Higgin's Anomalous Blue has one generation a year.

Habitat:
Dry calcareous grasslands

Similar species:
Polyommatus ripartii
Polyommatus galloi

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