ID on this Fritillary.from Lesvos

[John Vergo]

I saw this fritillary among several M telona, I just think that this one looks more like a M phoebe

[Chris Jackson]

Have you considered Heath, rather than Knapweed, John ?

I hope I have learnt my lesson:

Check out the "engorged submarginal lunule"

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8308

Chris

[Padfield]

I hope I have learnt my lesson...

I blame the teacher! I'm afraid this is definitely phoebe or telona/ornata (depending on author), precisely because it has what I described as an 'engorged submarginal lunule' (among other reasons).

I'm sure you don't have an underside, John, or you wouldn't be asking the question - but on the off-chance I have to ask! From the upperside I'm not sure it's possible to be confident. I bought The Genus Melitaea Fabricius, by Oorschot and Coutsis, precisely to help with this kind of question, but I don't really feel any the wiser. Your butterfly does match one of the figures of telona very closely (fig. 4, plate 13), and more closely than any of the figures of phoebe, but phoebe is so variable I don't know that proves anything. The underside hindwing seems to have the most constant features, though even that is not 100% reliable.

Guy

[John Vergo]

Thanks for the answer Guy, you are quit right I do not have the underside, if I have had, I wouldn't have been in doubt so I will put this one in as a telona

[Mikhail]

The shape of the right-hand antennal tip, clearly visible join your photo, looks more like ornata (= telona). In phoebe it is more gradually thickened.


M.

[John Vergo]

Thanks Mikhail, a very interesting information