Gatekeeper ab

[Stevieb]

♂ Gatekeeper taken today.

On the upper side of the hindwings the eyespot is elongated and split without a black surrounding ring. ab. postalbipuncta?

♂ Gatekeeper 30th June

[Padfield]

Hi Stevie. There isn't normally an eyespot there on the hindwing. I would interpret the pale patches as discolouration for some unknown reason, congenital or otherwise.

Guy

[Stevieb]

Thanks Guy. I was referring to the upper hindwing spots as per my photo here or am I overthinking it

[Padfield]

I would say it is your second picture that is more exceptional - within the range of normal variation, but very much at the spotty end of the spectrum. These spots have nothing to do with the discolouration in your first picture, which is in a structurally quite different part of the wing.

I'm not an expert on aberrations and someone else might have a different opinion.

Guy

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Stevie. There isn't normally an eyespot there on the hindwing. I would interpret the pale patches as discolouration for some unknown reason, congenital or otherwise.

Guy

And I can't find a named aberration for a complete lack of spots on the hindwings: https://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/aberrat ... s=tithonus

The asymmetric pale areas may be pathological, thought to be due to damage while in the pupal stage that prevents the laying down of pigments.

Cheers,

- Pete

[Stevieb]

Many thanks both. This web site is a brilliant learning curve

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Stevie,

I believe the lack of spots on the hindwings is ab. postice-inocellata.

ab. postice-inocellata - Southwater, Sussex 8-July-2010

As the others have said, yours may also have a pathological element in the mix.
I should point out that I'm not an expert in these matters, but just happened to have this old image which I somehow managed to label at the time.

Vince