Grass Jewel
Freyeria trochylus
Freyeria trochylus, the grass jewel, is a small butterfly found in Africa, Arabia, southern Europe, India and southern Asia that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freyeria_trochylus
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Lycaenidae
Genus
Freyeria
Grass Jewel belongs to the family Lycaenidae, order Lepidoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
Freyeria trochylus, the grass jewel, is a small butterfly found in Africa, Arabia, southern Europe, India and southern Asia that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
The Grass Jewel butterfly faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation from agricultural expansion and urbanization across its range. Climate change is altering the distribution and availability of its host plants, while pesticide use in agricultural areas directly impacts both the butterfly and its larval food sources.
Key Facts
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The Grass Jewel butterfly faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation from agricultural expansion and urbanization across its range. Climate change is altering the distribution and availability of its host plants, while pesticide use in agricultural areas directly impacts both the butterfly and its larval food sources.
Agricultural intensification and pesticide use
Habitat loss and fragmentation
Climate change impacts on host plants
Overgrazing by livestock
Urbanization and infrastructure development
Community Sightings
Report a sightingNo community sightings yet. Be the first to report!
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
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Grass Jewel (Freyeria trochylus). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/grass-jewel