Hi. I saw this Grizzled Skipped in July in the Cantal departement of the Massif Central, France, at alt. 950 m, but I can't tell if it is Oberthür or Foulquier. Can someone differentiate for me please?
Thanks. Chris Jackson.
Which Grizzled Skipper ?
- Chris Jackson
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Re: Which Grizzled Skipper ?
A tricky one, Chris, without an underside to help. Assuming carlinae is replaced by cirsii in your region, and assuming you are within the rather restricted range of bellieri (Foulquier's) I agree those are the only two species this might be.
I think most people would admit their experience of bellieri is both limited and uncertain, so I for one hesitate to suggest absolute diagnostic features. Tim Cowles observed that in bellieri the spots very often run outwards a little at the extrremities, as if the paint had run along the grain of the paper. This is illustrated in the picture below, which I believe is a mating pair of bellieri:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/bellieri112.jpg)
If this effect is characteristic of bellieri, though, it is not unique to it.
By default, and because there is nothing to suggest it is anything else, I suggest your butterfly is armoricanus (Oberthür's). The discal region of the hindwing is perhaps weakly marked for a male but not excessively so and the second picture in particular looks exactly like armoricanus.
Guy
I think most people would admit their experience of bellieri is both limited and uncertain, so I for one hesitate to suggest absolute diagnostic features. Tim Cowles observed that in bellieri the spots very often run outwards a little at the extrremities, as if the paint had run along the grain of the paper. This is illustrated in the picture below, which I believe is a mating pair of bellieri:
![Image](http://www.guypadfield.com/images2011/bellieri112.jpg)
If this effect is characteristic of bellieri, though, it is not unique to it.
By default, and because there is nothing to suggest it is anything else, I suggest your butterfly is armoricanus (Oberthür's). The discal region of the hindwing is perhaps weakly marked for a male but not excessively so and the second picture in particular looks exactly like armoricanus.
Guy
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- Chris Jackson
- Posts: 1929
- Joined: Mon May 06, 2013 6:35 am
- Location: Marseilles, France
Re: Which Grizzled Skipper ?
Thanks for your analysis Guy. This has put my mind at rest and I will classify it as Oberthür's.
Chris Jackson, Marseille
Chris Jackson, Marseille