Italy and Cyprus ID's

[markhows]

Can anyone help with some butterfly ID's posted on my website page below

http://www.hows.org.uk/inter/birds/2008 ... kphoto.htm

Thanks

Mark

[Sylvie_h]

Hi Mark,

It is hard to identify reptiles and more specifically lizards from pictures especially when you are not the photographer and have not seen them with your own eyes (length/behaviour/habitat etc) but I can recognize the following from Cyprus:
- Lizard 2,5,9,10 : agama Stellio (biggest lizard in Cyprus, up to 30cm and look like dynosaurs when running- mainly found in the north and west of the Island I believe)
- Lizard 3: turkish gecko (hemidactylus turcicus). You were very lucky to see them in the day time.
- Lizard 8: spiny footed lizard (apparently a threatened species in Cyprus).
- Flower 1: sea daffodil. These flowers grow on sand and mainly on beaches on the Mediterranean coast and their flowers are unfortunately and sadly often picked by bathers.
It would be helpful to know where exactly in the Island and when you took these pictures.
Sylvie

[Padfield]

I'll stick to the butterflies for the moment:

Cyprus:
Butterfly 1 Charaxes jasius (two-tailed pasha)
Butterfly 2 Maniola jurtina (meadow brown)
Butterfly 3 Hipparchia syriaca (Eastern rock grayling) *
Butterfly 4 Pararge aegeria (speckled wood)
Butterfly 5 Hipparchia syriaca (Eastern rock grayling) *
Butterfly 6 Zizeeria knysna (African grass blue)
Butterfly 7 Polyommatus icarus (common blue). I've edited this too, after checking in Kudrna and finding neither of my other suggestions flies on Cyprus! The cell spot is hidden.

Corsica and Italy
Butterfly 1 Heodes (Lycaena) tityrus (sooty copper)
Butterfly 2 Lysandra bellargus or coridon (Adonis or chalkhill blue)
Butterfly 3 Argynnis paphia (silver-washed fritillary)

The remaining two you have identified correctly.

I'll see if I can be more decisive about the ones I'm not sure about when I get home to a better computer screen!

Guy

* I've edited these two entries since getting home to a better computer and blowing up the pictures!

[Padfield]

Now the dragonflies! For this I'm mainly using books rather than experience, I should say.

Dragonfly 1 Orthetrum sabina (slender skimmer) - That looks a pretty straightforward ID.
Dragonfly 2 Crocothemis erythraea (scarlet darter)
Dragonfly 3 Crocothemis erythraea again - the yellow on the hindwing and the red on the leading edge of the forewing are clear in this picture
Dragonfly 4 Female Crocothemis erythraea (scarlet darter) (you can just see the yellow venation on the hindwing)

I expect one of the dragonfly experts will step in and contradict me!

Guy

[markhows]

Thanks for the help, I only have UK books so am limited a little.
I have ordered European butterflies and reptiles and amphibians but they are yet to come.

Thanks

Mark

[markhows]

RE the sites

Lizard 1 was actually taken in Corsica

2 and 3 were taken in the Trodos Mountains

5,6,8,9 taken in Paphos near the mosaics

7, 11, 12 and 13 near the Tomb of the Kings north of Paphos

Thanks

Mark

[Padfield]

If you want to add dragonflies to your European set, this book is brilliant:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-Dra ... 210&sr=8-1

It's illustrated by Lewington and for the British species the paintings are the same as in his British guide (Brooks and Lewington). BUT, the European one gives far more details of wing venation and both field and hand characteristics and also has excellent photographs of many of the species - a bit like a 'pro' version of the British book, but including all species from the Arctic to the Sahara.

Guy

[Rogerdodge]

As well as meeting the "Greatest Living Englishman" (Sir David A) at the Birdfair, I also bumped into Richard Lewington.
He is a thoroughly nice and modest man.
He had some original work and prints for sale there - sadly my budget for the weekend was "Maxed Out".
There is always next year!

Roger

[wavelea1]

Well I'm off to Tuscany tomorrow and I've persuaded my better half to take our all camera gear based on some of this evidence - thanks Mark.

Weather looks good for the next few days so who knows?

Wish I could speak some of the lingo though......

Mike

[Padfield]

Have a great time, Mike!

And don't worry about the lingo - Italians just use body language.

Guy