Dusky Large Blue

Dusky Large Blue

Maculinea nausithous

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Bavarian Forest National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%

68 Verified sightings at Bavarian Forest National Park From 2019 to 2026
68 In 1 park
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Dusky Large Blue

The dusky large blue (Phengaris nausithous) is a species of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

The life cycle of this species is strongly related to the herbaceous plant Sanguisorba officinalis (great burnet). L. arcas Rott. (= erebus Knoch) (83 e). Male similar to euphemus, but the female quite black-brown above; particularly recognizable by the underside being coffee-brown and bearing only one row of ocelli, ab. minor Frey are small specimens from Switzerland. In ab. inocellata Sohn the ocelli of the underside are reduced, in ab. lycaonius Schultz they are entirely absent. In the male-ab. lucida Geest the forewing above has the blue lighter and more extended and the black discal spots reduced or obsolete. Throughout Central Europe, from Alsatia to the Ural, Caucasus and Armenia, and from Pommerania and the Lower Rhine to Italy. — Egg like that of euphemus laid on Sanguisorba. The young larva pale, later on purple-brown and... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Dusky Large Blue in Bavarian Forest National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Large Blue sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 68 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 81st most-seen of the 1115 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Dusky Large Blue in Bavarian Forest National Park?

July

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Dusky Large Blue in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Dusky Large Blue?

Between 2 and 5 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dusky Large Blue sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Dusky Large Blue?

Only Bavarian Forest National Park, in our data

Bavarian Forest National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Dusky Large Blue sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Which relatives of the Dusky Large Blue live in Bavarian Forest National Park?

Same family: Lycaenidae

The closest relatives of the Dusky Large Blue that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Common Blue (about 30%), Small Copper (about 20%) and Holly Blue (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Dusky Large Blue sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Dusky Large Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (68 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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