Pre Pyrenees Blue for ID please

[Trik]

A rather worn specimen, so I can't tell if the fringing is chequered. Lots of spots on the forewing underside which I am having trouble matching up with anything in Collins Guide that also ties in with locality and/or time of year - 24 September 2019. Unable to get a shot of upperside, unfortunately. Any help much appreciated.

Thanks
Trik

[Chris Jackson]

A late male Adonis?

[Trik]

There seems to be too many spots for male Adonis and the upperside (what little that shows) is too blue for a female..
Thanks for the reply, Chris.
Trik

[selbypaul]

Hi Trik
My initial thoughts on the underside were also Adonis Blue. However the hint of the upperside, and having taken alook in Collins, makes me think it is the boalensis form of Common Blue.
Hope that helps
Paul

[bugboy]

Is it possibly a minor ab.? That might muddy the water a bit.

[Trik]

Re boalensis form of Common Blue, I had a look at this in Collins and still think that my specimen has too many prominent spots on the forewing. There are no obvious orange lunules on the forewing either. It might be an aberration, as BB suggests - Adonis or Common. Shame that the beast's fringing is so worn that any chequering which would have helped with ID has gone. Ah well, thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Trik

[NickMorgan]

The hind wing pattern says Adonis to me. The forewing says aberration!

[Padfield]

I would say this is almost certainly a male Adonis blue. I don't see anything aberrant about the forewing spotting, which is entirely within the normal range of variation unless I'm missing something. That tiny extra cell spot is quite frequent. But as always, I may be missing something!

Here's that extra cell spot in a Swiss individual:



Guy

[Trik]

What is stumping me is the row of 5 spots on the forewing, otherwise I would assume Adonis male as well. I have looked at British Butterfly Aberrations and could not find this configuration, but, of course, this was in Spain and could also be a one-off.

In Collins Butterfly Guide, the entry below Adonis is Spotted Adonis and the arrangement of spots on the forewing underside is the same as on my specimen. However, not only are there no spots on the upperside (that are visible), but the location is entirely wrong!

Trik

[Padfield]

Hi Trik. All those spots are the regular livery of Adonis blue, though they don't always line up so straight as this. The top 'two' are really one (or perhaps what is usually one is 'really' two) - the terminal spot of the cell. This is sometimes more or less bifid in Lysandra species. I just skimmed through my own Adonis blue pictures and couldn't actually find a bifid one, so it's not the norm, but nor is it truly anomalous. As you will have discovered, the underside spotting of blues varies very much even within one species.

This is an interesting butterfly but I don't find it problematic - it would seem to me to be within the expected range of variation of the species.

Guy

[Trik]

Thanks for the additional info, Guy. Adonis male it is then. Pity really, as I had rather hoped it might be something more special as I already have lots of Adonis shots and of tidier subjects too!

Trik

[Padfield]

I'm always happy to be corrected, Trik, and I only write as if I know what I'm talking about because I'm a teacher, and that's what we're paid to do!

Guy

[David M]

If you look carefully you can just about see a couple of black lines cutting through what's left of the white fringe on the left forewing. That alone would rule out icarus, escheri, thersites, etc.

[Trik]

I had noticed those, too, David, but wasn't sure if they were shadows or discolouration. I didn't mention them as I didn't want to influence any suggestions.

Guy : You're being too modest!

Trik