[9] Recently, the Mazarine blue's numbers have been declining in its European range (particularly Scandinavia) and the reason remains unclear.

This common species inhabits meadows, pastures, grasslands and flowery grassy damp areas up to 2200m.

The underside of the wings is greyish or ocher, with a series of black spots surrounded by white and a blue scaling in the basal area.

The butterfly has been compared to the common blue, and the Grecian Cyaniris bellis (Freyer, 1845) which has orange markings.

male above dull but deep blue, without gloss, with black margin and thin dark discocellular spot; the fringes pure white.

Underside earth-grey with blue scaling at the base, distinct discocellular spot and a row of discal ocelli as well as a basal ocellus below the costa of the hindwing.

montana Meyer-Dür, 1852] (82 e) is an alpine form which occurs in the higher Alps and the mountains of South-East Europe; smaller, the male bright blue above, with broader black distal border.

[Cyaniris bellis (Freyer, 1845)] (82 e, f) is above like montana, but the hindwing beneath bears traces of yellowish red spots in anal area.

The butterflies in May and again in August, in most districts singly but common, flying on broad forest roads and grassy borders of fields.

Their flight is rather clumsy and very low, the insects usually keeping quite close to the ground and frequently visiting Potentilla, Ranunculus and Trefoil.