Polyommatinae, the blues, are a diverse subfamily of gossamer-winged butterflies (family Lycaenidae).
| Polyommatinae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Polyommatus icarus, in Austria. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Papilionoidea |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Subfamily: | Polyommatinae Swainson, 1827 |
| Tribes | |
This subfamily was long used to assign taxa of unclear relationships, and its contents and phylogeny are still in need of revision. The following four tribes are generally recognized within Polyommatinae,[1] with Polyommatini comprising most of the genera and species:
- Candalidini Eliot 1973
- Lycaenesthini Toxopeus 1929
- Niphandini Eliot 1973
- Polyommatini Swainson 1827
The polyommatinae have variations of blue wing colouration which are due to the differences in the nanostructure of the body scales.[2]
References
edit- ^ Tolweb
- ^ VéRtesy, Z.; BáLint, Zs.; KertéSz, K.; Vigneron, J. P.; Lousse, V.; Biró, L. P. (November 2006). "Wing scale microstructures and nanostructures in butterflies − natural photonic crystals". Journal of Microscopy. 224 (1): 108–110. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2818.2006.01678.x. ISSN 0022-2720. PMID 17100919.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Polyommatinae.
Wikispecies has information related to Polyommatinae.
- Savela, Markku. "Polyommatinae". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- Tolweb.
- Butterflies and Moths of North America
- Butterflies of America
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