Southern Spanish IDs

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi all

My trip to the mountains above Malaga in May was full of butterflies, with a few I am not sure of, if anyone can help.

I think this is a Sage Skipper?

Southern Marbled Skipper?

Mallow Skipper?

Reasonably sure this is Lorquin's Blue. First and second are the same individual.

While this one could be Lorquin's or Carswell's? Or even Osiris.

I believe these are Provencal Fritillary. Second and third image are the same individual.

This moth looked like a bird dropping.

One of the Waves?

Thanks in advance,

Lee

[Padfield]

Hi Lee. That southern marbled skipper is perfect! No doubt about it. The mallow skipper, technically, is false mallow skipper, by location (I think it is false mallow in Málaga). Both Provençal fritillaries are knapweed.

Guy

[Lee Hurrell]

Thanks Guy.

Would you have an idea on the blues or if Sage Skipper is correct?

Best wishes,

Lee

[Chris Jackson]

If I may be so bold, Lee, I'm becoming more familiar with Sage Skipper around Marseilles, and I would say it does very much look like S. proto (S = Sloperia or Syrichtus, or even Muschampia, depending who you are a disciple of).
Chris

[Padfield]

Sage is good. To be honest, the first two blues look most like Mazarine but I'm pretty sure the last one, which seems to be a female, isn't. I can say for certain that none of them are Osiris blues.

How were they for size?

Guy

[Lee Hurrell]

Thank you Guy, and Chris.

All blues were Small Blue sized, as in minimus. I agree they do look like Mazarine but interestingly I had ruled that out as I was in Sierra Tejeda, where according to Tolman, Mazarine does not fly. He does says flies in the nearby Sierra Nevada. With both ranges not far away, it is perhaps not impossible.

Tolman does not have Osiris in S. Tejeda.

He does have both Lorquin's and Carswell's present in S. Tejeda though. The reason for my initial thought of Lorquin's is that Lorquin's is blue, and Carswell's is not, but that does not help for the female.

Lee

[Lee Hurrell]

Mallow and False Mallow Skipper I will have to read up on!

Best wishes,

Lee

[Mikhail]

The blues are good for Lorquin's. The bird dropping moth is the Pale Shoulder Acontia lucida, and the geometer is probably either Idaea serpentata or I. ochrata.

M.

[Lee Hurrell]

Thanks Mikail