Introduction
About 120 members of the cosmopolitan subfamily Polyommatinae occur in the neotropical region. Most are confined to the temperate grasslands of the high Andes, although a few species occur at much lower altitudes.
The genus Madeleinea includes 19 known species, but due to their tiny size and elusive behaviour there are almost certainly additional species awaiting discovery. The centre of endemism is southern Peru and Bolivia, where 16 members of the genus occur, but there are also species found as far north as Colombia.
Madeleinea koa occurs in Peru, and probably also in Bolivia.
Habitats
This is a high altitude species, found at between about 2500-3500m elevation in the puna grasslands of the Peruvian Andes. It frequents rocky areas, and can be found with some difficulty along certain areas of roadside, where it visits damp gullies early in the morning in bright sunny weather.
Lifecycle
To be completed.
Adult behaviour
The Manu Chequered Blue is an extremely active species which skips rapidly from place to place and is very difficult to follow by eye. It does however tend to remain in the same general area for several minutes at a time. Males are usually seen singly, imbibing moisture from sand or rocks. They invariably feed and bask with wings held half open.
