Going round in circles: Heath or Grisons Fritillary?

[Lepi68]

Hi to all the experts on this valuable forum/website. This is my first forum post so thanks for sharing your expertise.

In late June I took a series of images of what I initially thought were higher altitude variants of the Heath Fritillary (Melitaea athalia). However, after consulting a reference book and several websites I'm a) confused but b) inclined to think that the attached images are Grisons Fritillary (Melitaea varia). I'd welcome your thoughts. Image details:

Where: On the slopes of Monte Castel Manardo approximately 8km west of Amandola, Le Marche, central Italy in the eastern Monti Sibillini mountains.

When: 25/06/2022

Altitude: 1850m

What: A darker form of the highly variable Melitaea thalia that is quite common on the lower slopes of the Sibillini mountains (but usually larger, more brightly coloured and with sharper markings) or possibly M.varia? Inclined to the latter due to its smaller size and dark female form. However, all the images lack the upper side forewing "dumbbell" in S1. The location is outside the recorded distribution of M.britomartis, M.aurelia, M.deione or M.parthenoides.

Images 3 and 4 are of the same individual.

Many thanks for your help.

Clive W

[Roger Gibbons]

I'll venture an opinion based in "instinct" without books etc here (I think that gets me off the hook if I'm wrong).

I would say #2 male varia, #3/4 female varia (the dark form of female parthenoides can look very similar, but you say it is outside the range for parthenoides).

As to #1 - very strange - but female varia perhaps the least unlikely.

Roger

[Lepi68]

Many thanks Roger, appreciate your thoughts. #1 does look quite odd.

Cheers