Polyommatinae


Polyommatinae, the blues, are a diverse subfamily of gossamer-winged butterflies. This subfamily of butterfly was discovered in 1775. The group takes its name from its type genus Polyommatus; this scientific name means " many eyes", referencing the ocelli on their wings. The blues derive their common name from the coloration of males in most species.
These butterflies have been considered one of the poorest studied groups within the family Lycaenida. This subfamily was long used to assign taxa of unclear relationships, and its contents and phylogeny are still in need of revision.

Species

The following four tribes are generally recognized within Polyommatinae, with Polyommatini comprising most of the genera and species:
The Polyommatinae have some variation of blue on their wing; this coloration is due to the differences in the nanostructure of the body scales. The upper sides of the wings are covered in reflective blue scales. Females have some blue scales at the base of their wings, but the main color is brown. The color of the butterfly is understood to be species-specific, and indicates genetic variation.
Male Polyommatinae possess a complex system of androconia, which are scent scales on the butterflies' wings that attract mates. Along with these scent scales, the complexity of how the nanoarchitectures interact with white light is very important to support their formation and rigorous reproduction in subsequent generations. It has been demonstrated that these receptors and scales play an important role in the sexual communication of Polyommantinae butterflies in potential mate and competitor recognition.
The eyes of the Polyommatinae can be hairy or hairless depending on where it's from and how each tribe evolved. All species of the Lycaenidae family, except Everes, lack "tails" on the hindwing, which may also be referred to as a false head on the back of its wings. Almost all Polyommatinae have dots on the underside of its wings, with small to medium wingspans ranging from ; the Polyommatinae are small butterflies. There are only 38 total species within the Polyommatinae sub family, with only two being from Europe. In the US, most species of the Polyommatinae are found on the East Coast.