I have recently noticed quite a range in the spotting of both male and female Gatekeepers. Mike Oxen very kindly passed on some information about extra spotting: 1 to 4 spots on upper side forewings = ab. excessa, 3 spots upperside hindwings = ab. posttriexcessa and 4 spots on upperside hindwings = ab. quadriexcessa.
If any one has any ideas about the correct taxonomic terms for the gatekeepers below that would be greatly appreciated...I think 7 is excessa and 6 is quadriexcessa but I could be wrong?
Cheers
Wurzel
Spotting on Gatekeepers...
- Pete Eeles
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Re: Spotting on Gatekeepers...
Some abs listed below - gleaned by throwing a PDF of an unpublished Natural History Museum work (Goodson and Read) into an online optical character reader
References are omitted. And this just contains those abs. related to spotting - there are quite a few related to colouring too!
ab. antiobsoletissima
Forewing with the apical eye spot absent, or only showing the white centre with a slight shading. The figure in Frohawk's Brit. Butts. pl. 38 f.20.is cited by Leeds as having no forewing spot but this is a pathological monstrosity with defective scaling, the only reason for the absence of the eye-spot. I hav'e never seen tithonus without a trace of the apical eye and rather doubt if Leeds had.
ab. obsoletissima
Fore and hind wings with no black spots, or with the forewing merely showing a white pupil with slight shading.
ab. unipupillata
The apical eye spot of the forewing upperside and sometimes on the underside, has only one white pupil instead of the normal two.
ab. unipuncta
On the upperside of the forewing the apical eye spot, usually with two white pupils, is disintegrated, so that the lower half, small and almost separated and with no white pupil, leaves only the upper spot pupilled.
ab. bipupillata
The apical spot of the forewing drawn in at its middle, forming a figure of eight or completely cut into two separate spots very close together. The figure shows the spats pupilled with white but they certainly do not appear separated or particularly drawn in at the middle.
ab. anticrasipuneta
The apical spot of the forewing largo, often tailing downwards but not divided into two definite, or into an 8 shaped spot.
ab. antiparvipunota
The apical spot of the forewing small.
ab. caeca
The apical spot of the forewing exceedingly smal1 and practically blind.
ab. apicoextensa
Forewings with an elongated blackish spot or streak above the apical eye-spot, or with the apical spot itself elongated sideways. These are two quite different forma and should not be included under the same name.
ab. addenda
Forewings with an extra small black spot, higher than the subapical, not at the side of it. It is quite ridiculous to name such a form, it is covered by the following antipluripuncta if Leeds had not separated it.
ab. antipluripuncta
Forewings with an additional spot at the side of the apical eye-spot, or additional spot or spots in areas not associated with the postmedian (excessa) row.
ab. pluripunota
Not valid since Leeds had not seen such a forms.
ab. postpluripuncta
Not valid, Leeds had not seen specimens but says they might occur.
ab. postoaeca
On the upperside of the hindwins3 the eye-spot is without a white centre.
ab. postalbipuncta
On the upperside of the hindwings the eye-spot is not surrounded by a black ring.
ab. postice-inocellata
= postobsoletissima
On the upperside of the hindwings the anal spot is absent.
ab. bimaculata
Upperside of the hindwings showing two ocelli instead of the normal one, both pupilled with white to a noticeable degree.
ab. posttriexcessa
Upperside of hindwings with three additional spots above the anal spot.
ab. postquadriexcessa
Upperside of hindwings with four additional spots (five with the anal spot).
ab. postexcessa
Upperside of hindwings with extra black spots on one side but normal on the other, or any other wing devoid of additional spotting.
ab. mixtaexcessa
Upperside of fore and hindwings with at least one forewing and one hindwing additionally spotted but not all wings.
ab. excessa
= antiexcessa
On the upperside of the forewings there are one, two, three or even four extra spots, usually small and blind, sometimes large and ocellated.
ab. tithonellus
= quadripuncta
Two extra black spots on each for owing without white centres. The figure shows only the one anal spot on the hindwing.
ab. multiocellata
On the upper and underside of the forewings two extra white pupilled spots below the double-pupilled apical eye-spot. Those are large with prominent black surrounds to the white pupils.
ab. crassiexcessa
Upper and underside of forewings with two, or very rarely three, large additional spots, sometimes very large. The spots may not be of equal size and sometimes are devoid of white pupils.
ab. postlanceolata
Underside of the hindwings with some of the postmedian spot fairly well elongated , sometimes with further white dribbling continuing outwards from them.
ab. excessa-lanceolata
Underside of the forewings with two extra white-pupilled spots beneath the double-pupilled apical spot. Hindwings with a postmedian row of six large white-centred spots, the second from the top being exceptionally elongated into an eliptical streak.
ab. completa
Underside with six white points on the hindwings. The type has only two.
ab. postobsoleta
Leeds says the underside of the hindwings show only one, two or three white point instead of the typical four, five or six. This is incorrect, Linnaeus states two spots, the form must therefore only apply to one or three points.
ab. depupillata
On the underside all white spots or pupils are absent. The large black apical spot of the forewings, normally containing two white pupils, is blind. On the hindwings the usual white spots are absent, there being three blackish suffused spots in their place. The apical eye-spot of the forewings is also blind on the upperside.
ab. lineigera
On the underside of the forewings there is a dark line basad of the apical eye-spot, extending from the costa almost to the inner margin.
ab. infra-unicolora
Underside of the hindwings of a unicolorous dark brown, without the normal light area.
ab. postcastanea
Underside of hindwings with the basal and other brownish parts outstandingly darker, some almost chocolate or coffee coloured.
Cheers,
- Pete
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
ab. antiobsoletissima
Forewing with the apical eye spot absent, or only showing the white centre with a slight shading. The figure in Frohawk's Brit. Butts. pl. 38 f.20.is cited by Leeds as having no forewing spot but this is a pathological monstrosity with defective scaling, the only reason for the absence of the eye-spot. I hav'e never seen tithonus without a trace of the apical eye and rather doubt if Leeds had.
ab. obsoletissima
Fore and hind wings with no black spots, or with the forewing merely showing a white pupil with slight shading.
ab. unipupillata
The apical eye spot of the forewing upperside and sometimes on the underside, has only one white pupil instead of the normal two.
ab. unipuncta
On the upperside of the forewing the apical eye spot, usually with two white pupils, is disintegrated, so that the lower half, small and almost separated and with no white pupil, leaves only the upper spot pupilled.
ab. bipupillata
The apical spot of the forewing drawn in at its middle, forming a figure of eight or completely cut into two separate spots very close together. The figure shows the spats pupilled with white but they certainly do not appear separated or particularly drawn in at the middle.
ab. anticrasipuneta
The apical spot of the forewing largo, often tailing downwards but not divided into two definite, or into an 8 shaped spot.
ab. antiparvipunota
The apical spot of the forewing small.
ab. caeca
The apical spot of the forewing exceedingly smal1 and practically blind.
ab. apicoextensa
Forewings with an elongated blackish spot or streak above the apical eye-spot, or with the apical spot itself elongated sideways. These are two quite different forma and should not be included under the same name.
ab. addenda
Forewings with an extra small black spot, higher than the subapical, not at the side of it. It is quite ridiculous to name such a form, it is covered by the following antipluripuncta if Leeds had not separated it.
ab. antipluripuncta
Forewings with an additional spot at the side of the apical eye-spot, or additional spot or spots in areas not associated with the postmedian (excessa) row.
ab. pluripunota
Not valid since Leeds had not seen such a forms.
ab. postpluripuncta
Not valid, Leeds had not seen specimens but says they might occur.
ab. postoaeca
On the upperside of the hindwins3 the eye-spot is without a white centre.
ab. postalbipuncta
On the upperside of the hindwings the eye-spot is not surrounded by a black ring.
ab. postice-inocellata
= postobsoletissima
On the upperside of the hindwings the anal spot is absent.
ab. bimaculata
Upperside of the hindwings showing two ocelli instead of the normal one, both pupilled with white to a noticeable degree.
ab. posttriexcessa
Upperside of hindwings with three additional spots above the anal spot.
ab. postquadriexcessa
Upperside of hindwings with four additional spots (five with the anal spot).
ab. postexcessa
Upperside of hindwings with extra black spots on one side but normal on the other, or any other wing devoid of additional spotting.
ab. mixtaexcessa
Upperside of fore and hindwings with at least one forewing and one hindwing additionally spotted but not all wings.
ab. excessa
= antiexcessa
On the upperside of the forewings there are one, two, three or even four extra spots, usually small and blind, sometimes large and ocellated.
ab. tithonellus
= quadripuncta
Two extra black spots on each for owing without white centres. The figure shows only the one anal spot on the hindwing.
ab. multiocellata
On the upper and underside of the forewings two extra white pupilled spots below the double-pupilled apical eye-spot. Those are large with prominent black surrounds to the white pupils.
ab. crassiexcessa
Upper and underside of forewings with two, or very rarely three, large additional spots, sometimes very large. The spots may not be of equal size and sometimes are devoid of white pupils.
ab. postlanceolata
Underside of the hindwings with some of the postmedian spot fairly well elongated , sometimes with further white dribbling continuing outwards from them.
ab. excessa-lanceolata
Underside of the forewings with two extra white-pupilled spots beneath the double-pupilled apical spot. Hindwings with a postmedian row of six large white-centred spots, the second from the top being exceptionally elongated into an eliptical streak.
ab. completa
Underside with six white points on the hindwings. The type has only two.
ab. postobsoleta
Leeds says the underside of the hindwings show only one, two or three white point instead of the typical four, five or six. This is incorrect, Linnaeus states two spots, the form must therefore only apply to one or three points.
ab. depupillata
On the underside all white spots or pupils are absent. The large black apical spot of the forewings, normally containing two white pupils, is blind. On the hindwings the usual white spots are absent, there being three blackish suffused spots in their place. The apical eye-spot of the forewings is also blind on the upperside.
ab. lineigera
On the underside of the forewings there is a dark line basad of the apical eye-spot, extending from the costa almost to the inner margin.
ab. infra-unicolora
Underside of the hindwings of a unicolorous dark brown, without the normal light area.
ab. postcastanea
Underside of hindwings with the basal and other brownish parts outstandingly darker, some almost chocolate or coffee coloured.
Cheers,
- Pete
Life Cycles of British & Irish Butterflies: http://www.butterflylifecycles.com
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British & Irish Butterflies Rarities: http://www.butterflyrarities.com
- Neil Freeman
- Posts: 4471
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:25 pm
- Location: Solihull, West Midlands
Re: Spotting on Gatekeepers...
Hi Wurzel, here are the shots I posted in my diary earlier.
Blimey...thats some list of Pete's.....
Just noticed this one posted last week in my diary has some extra spotting in the fore wings as well...this was the first Gatekeeper that I saw this year and hadn't seen any others to compare with at the time.
Cheers,
Neil.
Blimey...thats some list of Pete's.....
Just noticed this one posted last week in my diary has some extra spotting in the fore wings as well...this was the first Gatekeeper that I saw this year and hadn't seen any others to compare with at the time.
Cheers,
Neil.
Re: Spotting on Gatekeepers...
Cheers Pete and Neil for the photos and all the info...looks like I've got some taxonomy to do!
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Have a goodun
Wurzel
Re: Spotting on Gatekeepers...
Wow!!! I'm envisioning a big scaly monster, maybe a bit like Godzilla, ripping out hedges and chewing it's way through a wildflower meadow, roaring all the time. Things sure were different back in those days!Pete Eeles wrote:The figure in Frohawk's Brit. Butts. pl. 38 f.20.is cited by Leeds as having no forewing spot but this is a pathological monstrosity with defective scaling
![Laughing :lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
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