Common Blue aberration?

[walt_a]

Hi, I saw this yesterday evening (08/08) at finemere in bucks along with many common blues that were all resting in very close proximity to this one. I waited to see the wings open, but after 5mins of waiting when the opportunity came my camera battery died! However it looked just like a male common blue and was of a similar size. Can anyone ID this for me? As far as I can remember I have never seen an aberration before, so I'm just guessing.
Thanks
Walt

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Walt,

It certainly is an Common Blue male aberration!

Felix, or others, may be able to give it a name.

Good find!

Cheers

Lee

[Padfield]

I can't name it, but I have seen the phenomenon of the extended black spots before (very rarely!) in various species of blue. I've never seen it in common blue

These are a large blue and an Escher's blue respectively, showing something similar (photos are video frames, so not very good quality, unfortunately):





Guy

[Pete Eeles]

Hi Walt - if you could also post the image in the species-specific gallery I'd appreciate it, so that it doesn't get buried in the forums!

gallery/album.php?album_id=305

Cheers,

- Pete

[walt_a]

Hi Walt,
It certainly is an Common Blue male aberration!
Felix, or others, may be able to give it a name.
Good find!
Cheers
Lee

Thanks Lee, it's nice to know my identification skills are improving....

[walt_a]

I can't name it, but I have seen the phenomenon of the extended black spots before (very rarely!) in various species of blue. I've never seen it in common blue
......
Guy

Thanks Guy, the elongation does seem very similar to your blues. Very interesting.

[walt_a]

Hi Walt - if you could also post the image in the species-specific gallery I'd appreciate it, so that it doesn't get buried in the forums!

gallery/album.php?album_id=305

Cheers,

- Pete

Hi Pete, I, um, posted 3 images in the gallery you pointed to, got a bit carried away! 2 are from different sides but one is a similar shot and can be deleted (I have no idea how or even if I can do that - I'll leave that down to the site admins to sort out/leave )

[Pete Eeles]

Thanks Walt - that's perfect!

Cheers,

- Pete

[traplican]

I have noted similar phenomenon by some of my Reverdin's (in various extent, see album), e.g.:

or Short-tailed:

[Piers]

The Common Blue is ab. radiata

This is rare in the Common Blue and as such a very fortunate find..!

Felix.

[geniculata]

hi felix,

ive got an image i took last week of a female common blue, in a meadow a short walk from my home, its got one elongated spot on the hindwing, does it make aberration status?

gary

[Roger Gibbons]

There seem to be a lot of aberrations around this year. By coincidence, I saw 23425 at Pulpitt Hill, Bucks on 8 August, only a minor aberration though. If I had seen Walt's photo before I went, I would have looked at the numerous Common Blues more closely. I did, however, see Silver-spotted Skipper there for the first time and I haven't seen this species in the UK since Fontmell Down a couple of decades ago.

I also saw 19853, a female, in Var, France, not a great surprise given the unusually cold and wet weather in the early spring.