This is one of the largest families among butterflies, with more than 5000 species. They are widespread throughout the world. In the Palearctic region, this family comprises about 25% of all butterflies. Members of this family are the smallest of the butterflies and are usually sexually dimorphic. The male is a shiny blue or copper color, and the female is usually brown. Many of them have a delicate, thin tail at the tip of the hindwing and sparkling "eyes" beside it. Many researchers attribute this form to a "false head": a predator that tries to attack the butterfly will attack the false head—the less important area of the butterfly—and thus the butterfly will escape predation.
The egg is round and flattened, with bumps or depressions. The larvae are small and bulky and feed on leaves and fruits. Larvae of some species secrete a sweet liquid that attracts ants, which take them and guard them in their nest; there are larvae that also feed on ant grubs. The pupa is of the girdled chrysalis type and pupates on the host plant or on the ground.
In Israel and Sinai there are about 50 species. About 20 of them are common only in the Hermon and northern Golan, and about 10 in the Arava and the Jordan Valley.

Balkan blue Tarucus balkanicus	Grayish blue  IPHICLIDES PODALIRIUS	Striped ant-blue   Apharitis acamas
Alexis blue Glaucopsyche alexisi	Polar blue Zizeeria karsandra	Ivy blue Celastrina argiolus
Desert blue Plebejus loewii	Bush hairstreak Iolana alfierii	Eastern blue Lycaena asabinus
Oak hairstreak Satyrium ilicis	Legume blue  Chilades galba	Hercules green hairstreak Callophrys herculeane
Alfalfa blue  Leptotes pirithous	Ornate blue  Chilades trochylus	Cherry hairstreak Satyrium myrtala
Purple hairstreak  Favonius quercus	Persian hairstreak  Satyrium abdominalis	Sorrel copper  Lycaena thersamon
Vetch blue  Polyommatus amandus	Common blue Polyommatus icarus	Pea blue Lampides boeticus
Cudweed hairstreak (blue) cudweed Tomares nesimachus	Mistletoe blue Iolaus glaucus	Jujube blue Azanus jesous
Galilean ant-blue Apharitis cilisae	Jujube blue  Tarucus rosacea	Antioch blue Cyaniris semiargus
Geranium blue  Paicia agestis	Shi'on blue  Plebejus eurypilus	Thyme blue Pseudophilotes vicrama
Spotted blue Turanana panagaea	Buckthorn hairstreak Satyrium spini	Acacia blue Azanus ubaldus
Golden copper Lycaena ochimus	Common sorrel copper Lycaena phlaeas	Cleopatra blue Plebejus philbyi
		Pomegranate blue Deudorix livia