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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
The Mazarine Blue became extinct in Britain in 1904 although it remains widespread on mainland Europe but is declining in many European countries... primarily due to habitat loss. The adult butterflies are very similar in size to the Common Blue but the blue colouration is very much darker. The underwings of the Mazarine Blue also lack the distinctive orange spots which are present on the Common Blue.
Habitat
The Mazarine Blue occurs in a wide range of flower habitats where the larval foodplant occurs.
Larval Food Plants
The primary larval foodplant of the Mazarine Blue is Red Clover (Trifolium pratense). |
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 12 photographs of the Mazarine Blue in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB829 - Mazarine Blue
DSC_0942.JPG
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BB754 - Mazarine Blue
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BB753 - Mazarine Blue
DSC_3758.JPG
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BB752 - Mazarine Blue
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BB751 - Mazarine Blue
DSC_3751.JPG
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BB750 - Mazarine Blue
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BB749 - Mazarine Blue
DSC_3743.JPG
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BB748 - Mazarine Blue
DSC_3742.JPG
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| Distribution |
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| The reasons for the decline and ultimate extinction of the Mazarine Blue in Britain is unknown. There is also very little infomation about its original distribution in the UK. |
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| Where to see the Mazarine Blue |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Mazarine Blue is a extinct species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  not applicable |
(1976-2004) not applicable |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
not applicable (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 regionally extinct4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Mazarine Blue can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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32-38mm
