Wing variation of Maculinea arion (Linnaeus) in Finland (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)

Authors

• Rauno Väisänen
• Kari Heliövaara
• Päivö Somerma

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33338/ef.83809

Abstract

Wing variation in the large blue butterfly, Maculinea arion (Linnaeus, 1758), was studied using 22 measurements of the wing shape, venation and coloration in males and females of Finnish and Karelian populations. The results showed that the spots were fewer and smaller in the western populations than in the eastern ones, whereas the black marginal stripe was wider in the west. The samples from the western populations (Lohja, Kangasala, Hattula, Asikkala, etc.) formed a distinctive group differing from the eastern populations (Taipalsaari, Liperi, Isthmus of Karelia). The temporal within-population variation in Asikkala was relatively high compared to the between-population variation within both the western and eastern population groups.