Eros Blue
Polyommatus eros
Polyommatus eros, the Eros blue or common meadow blue, is a species of blue butterfly found in the Palearctic.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyommatus_eros
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Lycaenidae
Genus
Polyommatus
Eros Blue belongs to the family Lycaenidae, order Lepidoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
Polyommatus eros, the Eros blue or common meadow blue, is a species of blue butterfly found in the Palearctic.
The Eros Blue butterfly faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized alpine grassland ecosystems. Climate change poses an additional critical threat as warming temperatures force this cold-adapted species to retreat to increasingly limited high-altitude refugia.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
There are two views of the range of eros. Either the distribution area is restricted to the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Balkan Mountains and mountainous regions in Turkey and there are a few subspecies or there are a large number of subspecies which extend across the Himalayas and the Central Asian highlands. In the first view the East Palearctic subspecies are considered full species....
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The Eros Blue butterfly faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized alpine grassland ecosystems. Climate change poses an additional critical threat as warming temperatures force this cold-adapted species to retreat to increasingly limited high-altitude refugia.
Climate change and warming temperatures
Habitat loss and fragmentation
Loss of host plant availability
Overgrazing by livestock
Tourism and recreational activities
National vs Global Threat Status
How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (CR).
| Country | National Status | Global Status | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | NTNear Threatened | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
| EU | NTNear Threatened | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Eros Blue (Polyommatus eros). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/eros-blue