About Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830)
Ripart's anomalous blue, with the scientific name Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830), is a butterfly species belonging to the family Lycaenidae. This species is distributed across Southern Europe including Greece and the Balkans, Asia Minor, the Crimea, South-West Siberia, the Altai Mountains, and Kazakhstan. It flies during high summer, from July to August, and inhabits hot, dry grassy areas and flower-covered slopes. Three former species that were previously recognized as endemic to limited areas are now included within P. ripartii: these are Agrodiaetus galloi from Italy, Agrodiaetus exuberans from Italy, and Agrodiaetus agenjoi from Spain, which were later shown to be just local populations of P. ripartii. P. ripartii is very similar to the species Polyommatus admetus. Seitz classified it as a form of admetus under the name ripartii Frr. (81 f), but P. ripartii can be distinguished by a white mesial streak on the underside of its hindwing, which extends from the base of the wing to the outer margin. The P. ripartii population in Poland is considered one of the most endangered butterfly populations in central Europe.
