# Common blue (*Polyommatus icarus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-blue  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common blue (Polyommatus icarus) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, belonging to the family Lycaenidae within the order Lepidoptera. It has a representative wingspan of 3.4 cm. Also called the common blue butterfly, the species carries the authority (von Rottemburg, 1775) and is placed in the subfamily Polyommatinae, tribe Polyommatini and genus Polyommatus.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 2.35 cm – 3.9 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Scavenger |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | grassland, human_modified, wetland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| On the wing | March to October |
| Generations a year | Several |
| Larval food plants | Fabaceae family |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Lycaenidae
- genus: Polyommatus
- species: *Polyommatus icarus* (von Rottemburg, 1775)

Synonyms: *Cyaniris icarus*, *Lycaena albocuneata*, *Lycaena albolimbata*, *Lycaena alexis*, *Lycaena alsus*, *Lycaena amethystina*, *Lycaena brunnea*, *Lycaena centrirufa*, *Lycaena courvoisieri*, *Lycaena crassipuncta*, *Lycaena duesseldorfensis*, *Lycaena icarus*, *Lycaena impunctata*, *Lycaena liliputana*, *Lycaena livida*, *Lycaena minor*, *Lycaena minor*, *Lycaena nana*, *Lycaena nigrocuneata*, *Lycaena nigromaculata*, *Lycaena parvipuncta*, *Lycaena parvula*, *Lycaena privata*, *Lycaena pseudocyllarus*, *Lycaena pygmaea*, *Lycaena quadripuncta*, *Lycaena radiata*, *Lycaena rufopunctatus*, *Lycaena rufotincta*, *Lycaena semiarcuata*, *Lycaena subtus-obscurior*, *Lycaena subtusminuspunctata*, *Lycaena subtusradiata*, *Lycaena supracaerulea*, *Lycaena tetrapunctata*, *Lycaena transiens*, *Lycaena tripuncta*, *Lycaena tripunctata*, *Lysandra hylas*, *Papilio alexis*, *Papilio argus*, *Papilio candaon*, *Papilio candiope*, *Papilio candybus*, *Papilio fusciolus*, *Papilio hylas*, *Papilio icarus*, *Papilio pampholyge*, *Papilio polyphemus*, *Papilio thetis*, *Plebeius icarus*, *Plebejus icarus*, *Polyommatus albescens*, *Polyommatus albistria*, *Polyommatus albolunulata*, *Polyommatus albomarginata*, *Polyommatus alboocellata*, *Polyommatus amoena*, *Polyommatus angulata*, *Polyommatus anticoapicalis*, *Polyommatus anticostriata*, *Polyommatus apicata*, *Polyommatus apicatalunulata*, *Polyommatus apicatasupracaerulea*, *Polyommatus apicatathetis*, *Polyommatus apicojuncta*, *Polyommatus arcua*, *Polyommatus arcuata*, *Polyommatus arionoides*, *Polyommatus auroextensa*, *Polyommatus auropuncta*, *Polyommatus aurosa*, *Polyommatus barnumi*, *Polyommatus basijuncta*, *Polyommatus biarcuata*, *Polyommatus biformis*, *Polyommatus caeca*, *Polyommatus caeca*, *Polyommatus caerulea-cuneata*, *Polyommatus caeruleata*, *Polyommatus caerulescens*, *Polyommatus carteri*, *Polyommatus caudatanulla*, *Polyommatus cometa*, *Polyommatus costajuncta*, *Polyommatus discreta*, *Polyommatus dorylas*, *Polyommatus dorylas dorylas*, *Polyommatus elongata*, *Polyommatus fimbrinotata*, *Polyommatus flavastriata*, *Polyommatus flaveoextensa*, *Polyommatus flaveopuncta*, *Polyommatus flaveosa*, *Polyommatus flavocinctata*, *Polyommatus fusca-albolunulata*, *Polyommatus fusca-caerulescens*, *Polyommatus fusca-semiclara*, *Polyommatus fusca-supracaerulea*, *Polyommatus fusca-thestylis*, *Polyommatus fusca-thetis*, *Polyommatus glauca*, *Polyommatus icarescheri*, *Polyommatus icarus*, *Polyommatus icarus*, *Polyommatus icarus claracaelestis*, *Polyommatus icarus flavocinctata*, *Polyommatus iphis-cuneata*, *Polyommatus marginelineata*, *Polyommatus obsoleta*, *Polyommatus pallidula*, *Polyommatus parvilunulata*, *Polyommatus parvipuncta-icarinus*, *Polyommatus postico-extensa*, *Polyommatus posticoapicalis*, *Polyommatus posticoinocellata*, *Polyommatus semicandiope*, *Polyommatus semiclara*, *Polyommatus semiicarinus*, *Polyommatus semipersica*, *Polyommatus septemargenteoguttata*, *Polyommatus striata*, *Polyommatus subalboocellata*, *Polyommatus subobsoleta*, *Polyommatus suffescens*, *Polyommatus thersites-albolunata*, *Polyommatus thersites-cuneata*, *Polyommatus thersites-supracaerulea*, *Polyommatus thersites-thetis*, *Polyommatus thestyliscaerulescens*, *Polyommatus vacua*, *Polyommatus virgularia*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common blue?

The common blue is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera and the family Lycaenidae.

### What is the wingspan of the common blue?

The common blue has a representative wingspan of 3.4 cm.

### What is the scientific name of the common blue?

The scientific name of the common blue is Polyommatus icarus. It is placed in the genus Polyommatus.

### What family does the common blue belong to?

The common blue belongs to the family Lycaenidae, in the subfamily Polyommatinae and tribe Polyommatini.

### What other names does the common blue have?

The common blue is also called the common blue butterfly.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common blue (Polyommatus icarus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-blue