Tarucus balkanicus balkanicus

The commoner of the tiger blue butterflies with a wingspan of 18-22 mm, males being a brighter blue compared to the Mediterranean tiger. The little tiger lives mainly in the dry northern and eastern parts of Lebanon, in scrubland, thickets, pastures, and semi-desert. Host plants include Christ’s-thorn (Paliurus spina-christi), jujube (Ziziphus jujuba), and heliotropes (Heliotropium spp.). This species flies April through October, and like all tigers, the flight is fast and close to the ground.

Photographs

Attribution: Souvick-Mukherjee (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Zeynel Cebeci (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Zeynel Cebeci (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Zeynel Cebeci (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Sharp Photography (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Dr. Raju Kasambe (Wikipedia Creative Commons)

Attribution: Dr. Raju Kasambe (Wikipedia Creative Commons)