Short-Tailed Blue

Short-Tailed Blue

Elkalyce argiades

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Daegu

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

6 Verified sightings at Daegu
121 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Short-Tailed Blue

The short-tailed blue or tailed Cupid (Cupido argiades) is a butterfly that forms part of the family Lycaenidae. It is found from Europe to Japan and in India. The male has a violet upperside, a violet forewing with brown edging, and a violet hindwing with a brown edging of varying length. The wings have black spots, some of which have slight white edging. The tail is black with a white tip. The underside of the wings are white or brownish grey, the markings prominent or very faint. The antennae are black with white speckling on the shafts. The body is brown with a purple flush on fresh specimens.

The female has a dark grey-blue upperside, with black parts and broader edging. The undersides of the wings are like those of the male but with more stark markings. The body is like that of the male but without the purple flush.

Specimens from very dry localities in Upper Burma and from Great Nicobar Island are remarkably small and pale, with the markings on the underside, especially the subtornal ochraceous yellow patch, more or less obsolescent.

Southern short-tailed blue (Cupido alcetas ), southern Europe Eastern short-tailed blue ( Cupido decolorata... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
3 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
4 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
5 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
6 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nagoya 🇯🇵 Japan
~30%
2 Wuhan 🇨🇳 China
~20%
3 Daegu 🇰🇷 South Korea
~20%
4 Daejeon 🇰🇷 South Korea
~20%
5 Osaka 🇯🇵 Japan
~10%
6 Seoul 🇰🇷 South Korea
~10%
7 Suzhou 🇨🇳 China
~10%
8 Beijing 🇨🇳 China
~10%
9 Sendai 🇯🇵 Japan
~10%
10 Tokyo 🇯🇵 Japan
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Short-Tailed Blue in Daegu?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Short-Tailed Blue sighting in Daegu on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 28th most-seen of the 38 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Short-Tailed Blue in Daegu?

May and June

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Short-Tailed Blue in Daegu on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, July–August and October, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Short-Tailed Blue?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Short-Tailed Blue sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Daegu the best place to see a Short-Tailed Blue?

3rd of 29

Of the 29 cities where we can rate Short-Tailed Blue sightings, Daegu ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 30%) and Wuhan (China, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Short-Tailed Blue live in Daegu?

Same family: Lycaenidae

The closest relatives of the Short-Tailed Blue that you can see in Daegu (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Large Copper (about 20%), Reverdin's Blue (about 20%) and Pale Grass Blue (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Short-Tailed Blue sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Short-Tailed Blue is recorded against all the insects logged in Daegu (6 verified sightings), 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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