Is this a Fritillary?

[pmc]

I spotted this butterfly on 3.8.2011 on the dunes near Hauxley in Northumberland.

I have tried to identify it using the UK butterflies and Butterfly Conservation websites, but to no avail.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

[FISHiEE]

Yep. Looks like Dark Green Fritillary to me

[Lee Hurrell]

I agree, a female Dark Green Fritillary, quite heavily marked.

Cheers

Lee

[David M]

That's very dusky for a female DGF. Lovely specimen.

[MikeOxon]

That's very dusky for a female DGF. Lovely specimen.

Perhaps a touch of Scotica in her genes?

Mike

[David M]

That's very dusky for a female DGF. Lovely specimen.

Perhaps a touch of Scotica in her genes?

Mike

Yeah, I guess there's a resemblance.

[pmc]

Thank you all for identifying this individual as a female DGF.

Now, I wonder what the males in this locale look like?! If only I could spot one!

Regards.

[Piers]

Hi PMC,

This is pretty typical for a female dark green fritillary, they are often suffused with a dusky green hue, sometimes very richly, even in then southern counties of England but especially further north.

Interestingly, the situation regarding scotica is very unclear, and was originally described from a handful of specimens hailing from north west Scotland, where the following features were noted:

-Much heavier black markings (upper and under side) in both sexes
-Noticeably darker green colouration on the undersides
-A greater prominence of silver spots
-A greater wing expanse

It was also noted that the females were particularly heavily suffused, with the tawny ground colour only really showing on the disc of both wings, with some females being almost wholly black in appearance.

Since the original description of 'scotica' in the 1920's very little additional work or research has been carried out regarding this form/subspecies/morph, however, studies by the late prof. Heslop-Harrison on the Hebridean islands showed that considerable variation in size and colour is found between populations on different islands.

More interestingly H-H also discovered that much variation occurs between different populations on the same islands, with populations of the 'typical' form being separated by apparent 'scotica' populations only by a short distance and minor barriers of terrain.

There is also, between islands, much variation in size within the so called 'scotica' morph, for example those 'scotica' populations from Canna being noticeably smaller than those from Barra.

Interestingly, and pertinent to this thread however, Heslop-Harrison asserted that those populations from Durham and Northumberland were also of the 'scotica' morph, but that populations further eastwards were of the nominate subspecies.

It would appear that much work is still to be done to ascertain the validity of so called 'subspecies' where so much would seem to depend upon local microgeographical and microclimatic influences upon the size and colouration of a population.

Another example of possible 'subspecies busting' would be the so called subspecies 'oblita' in the speckled wood, which when bred in captivity in southern Britain quickly reverts to 'type' after just one or two generations, and the features cited as diagnostic of the subspecies disappear.

Piers.

[Gibster]

Another example of possible 'subspecies busting' would be the so called subspecies 'oblita' in the speckled wood, which when bred in captivity in southern Britain quickly reverts to 'type' after just one or two generations, and the features cited as diagnostic of the subspecies disappear.

This is a very interesting development! So you're saying that some "subspecies" are purely clinal variations?

Has anybody tried moving Speckled Wood insula or Meadow Brown cassiteridum up to Scotland to see what happens? Neither of these "subspecies" vary in actual morphology from the type, merely in depth of colouration and patterning (as far as I'm aware, that is). Some "subspecies" differ from type quite obviously, see Silver-studded Blue caernensis.

Piers, you need to start posting more frequently again.

Gibster.

[Piers]

This is a very interesting development! So you're saying that some "subspecies" are purely clinal variations?

Certainly. The former 'subspecies' davus and polydama of the large heath for example, now known through studies of their genetic make-up amongst other things, to be simple geographical clines or morphs.

Some "subspecies" differ from type quite obviously, see Silver-studded Blue caernensis.

Yes indeed. And this particular subspecies is very interesting. It's distribution mirrors that of semele ssp. thyone. Both subspecies at this location show a reduction in size and features, and both subspecies emerge significantly earlier at this site than their bretheren of the nominate subspecies.

Even more remarkable was the relase in the 1940's of 90 specimens of p.argus ssp. caernensis into the Dulas valley in north Wales. The population is still extant, and after quickly adapting itself to it's new surroundings, part of this adaptation resulted in noteable shifts in the phenotype of the population away from the Gt Orme colonies. The population now generally resembles the nominate subspecies argus, certainly much more than it resembles it's caernensis parentage. And this all ocurred within the space of a decade or two.

Piers, you need to start posting more frequently again.

Piers.