What are these butterflies?

[Ian Pratt]

I have posted some photos to http://www.flickr.com/lepreskil and would value any comments as to whether I have got them correct. I will add some more later.

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Ian - there are literally hundreds of photos! Are there some specific photos you're after an opinion on?

Cheers,

- Pete

[Padfield]

Hi Ian,

Fantastic pictures! I especially love the purple-shot copper. I just can't get the same quality with my compact.

As to ID, they are mostly correct, but with one or two more shaky ones!

You can't have the same picture labelled 'Esper's marbled white' and 'Western marbled white' on two different pages! That's cheating! In any case, they are both actually female marbled whites, M. galathea (or perhaps lachesis - I don't have a photograph of female uns for lachesis). There are lots of points to look for, but it's useful to know that galathea and lachesis have an interruption in the markings around the end of the cell on the hindwing underside. If you look at Esper's you'll see the markings go all the way round and include the end of the cell. Western has a quite different underside altogether.

The picture labelled 'Chapman's blue' shows a cell spot - so Agrodiaetus is ruled out. That butterfly is a common blue.

Finally, the ilex hairstreak is, in my opinion, false ilex. I separate those two mostly on jizz. I see literally thousands of ilex every year, though false ilex only occasionally - this strikes me as not being ilex. There are details to look for too: very weak/vestigial hairstreak on unf, a distinct reddish hue to the spots on the unh (photos can distort hues, but all the same this looks like the false ilex colour), a weak marginal white line on the unh and very indistinct black edging to the reddish spots. Also there is no white outside the black mark in s1 on the unh.

I look forward to the rest of the series!

Guy

[Padfield]

Hi Ian - there are literally hundreds of photos! Are there some specific photos you're after an opinion on?

I only looked at the ones relating to your recent holiday, Ian - I'll browse the other hundreds at leisure!!

Guy

[Ian Pratt]

I was only thinking of the butterfly photos posted this month.

[Pete Eeles]

Ah - thanks Ian! I guess it should have been obvious - it's been a long day!

I have nothing to add to Guy's comments, other than I've never managed to tell the difference between Heath, False Heath, Nickerl's and Assmann's Fritillary!

I love your Cleopatra photo - very unusual and very educational!

I've attached a photo of an Esper's Marbled White I photographed in Italy this year to demonstrate the point regarding the continuity of markings (or lack thereof!).

Cheers,

- Pete

IMG_0783.jpg (62.53 KiB) Viewed 603 times

[Padfield]

Crippling photo, Pete!!

Now I've said that, does it mean you can't use it in the comp?

Guy

[Pete Eeles]

It was taken in June But thanks for the kind words!

Cheers,

- Pete