Alcetas?

[David M]

I don't see any alternative to this being everes alcetas. At first I thought it was osiris but I then noticed the rudimentary 'tails' and the underside has the black mark indicative of alcetas.

In Tolman, it isn't marked down as present in the département of France where I currently am, and even Tristan Lafranchis's distribution graphs do not have as far east as my location:

http://diatheo.weebly.com/cupido-alcetas.html

I've never seen this species in the Alps before so would prefer to have a second (or third) opinion:

[petesmith]

Looks like a tatty alcetas to me David. Whereabouts are you and what altitude? It was fairly frequent along the famous track by the Hostellerie de Stephane when I visited end May/early June a couple of years back!

[Padfield]

No doubt about the ID - 100% alcetas. In Switzerland, despite the maps in many books, this is the common ‘Everes’, found pretty well everywhere from the valley to about 2000m.

Guy

[David M]

Thanks both. I couldn't see any alternative but when the guides don't show it as present in the area you see it then you DO doubt yourself.

Yes, Pete, this was seen on the famous forest track!

[Roger Gibbons]

It's not uncommon on the track, but earlier than when you are usually there David, which explains why yours was so end-of-flight-period.

I last saw it there on 12 June last year.

A demain.

Roger

[David M]

Thanks, Roger.

Maybe I could introduce him to you tomorrow (I saw him again today in much the same spot)!

[Padfield]

I don't know exactly where you are/were, David, but the most recent edition of Kudrna's butterfly atlas (https://www.pemberleybooks.com/product/ ... ers/28494/) has alcetas much more uniformly distributed over the whole of the southern half of France than the map you link to above (and correctly includes most of Switzerland in its range).

Guy

[David M]

Thanks, Guy. I DO possess that book but, alas, I don't have it with me in France (too heavy).

I know from experience that things that aren't recorded in the field guides can suddenly turn up in this part of the world. It's all part of the excitement.