www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Do you suppose there's any DNA left in the most recently taken specimens of British large blue? If so, could Michael Crichton could do a Cotswold Park for real and clone some of it? Perhaps not, as the specimens have all been dried - but if cloning technology were ever to be put to a good use, that would be it.

I hope someone, somewhere, is keeping a bank of viable genetic material of our present endemic subspecies, in case of future extinction.

Guy

Dave McCormick wrote:Just wondering something too, was the Scarce Tortoiseshell and the Yellow Legged Tortoiseshell the same butterfly?

One and the same. In fact, the name 'scarce tortoiseshell' derives from its status as a British (vagrant) butterfly. If I remember correctly, Ford figures a historic specimen of that, too.

I have seen a vagrant individual of this species in Gibraltar, way outside its official range.

Guy

In order to ensure that this website answers as many questions as possible, I've added the complete list of species found in Emmet and Heath. The definition of "Primary" and "Secondary" has changed slightly - but at least I feel the website now has full coverage.

So you'll now see a lot more "secondary" species listed - and if anyone has photos of them then please send 'em through

As ever, all comments welcome.

Cheers,

- Pete

Here's a few random species to kick-start that secondary list!! I've got plenty of the other ones too, but so, I'm sure, have lots of other people... I uploaded them at 800 across, which is what you want, I think, Pete. Feel free to remove the post when you have taken any you need.

Guy

Green-underside blue (4 pics)








Almond-eyed ringlet (3 pics)






Violet (Weaver's) fritillary (2 pics)




Moorland clouded yellow (3 pics - the last is a male ups but the butterfly was found dead, so you might not want it)






Spanish festoon (2 pics)

Thanks Guy! Yes - you're right about the resolution required, so this is a perfect mechanism for sending me photos

Cheers,

- Pete

Where are these lists Pete? I can't find them in "Species"

M.

That's a good question! If you look at the listing on the home page (the listing on the right hand side) you'll see them. I'm still trying to figure out how to best-include them on the various "family" pages so that their inclusion doesn't detract from the species that most folk consider "British".

Cheers,

- Pete

I think you're right, Pete, that these exotica should be well separated off from the main species pages. They constitute an interesting addition to the site and make it more comprehensive (useful for internet research) but it would obviously be misleading if they were presented as things one might reasonably expect to see. There would suddenly be a flurry of Albin's Hamstead Eyes being reported by novices the length of the country!!

Where you think it useful (which is not for all of them!), how about linking to individual species from related primary species pages? So, for example, the entry for small copper could note that similar sooty coppers breed in nearby France and have very occasionally been reported in England, with a link to sooty copper. Similarly, large copper might include links to scarce and even purple-edged, to which there are some intriguing early references. That way, someone who found a distinctly 'different' copper could be pointed at the possible vagrant without cluttering up the main pages.

Guy

All good feedback. I've added all species to the relevant family pages and tried to distinguish using parentheses. Not sure if this really works though

All comments welcome.

I agree that having a "related species" (or some such) link would be useful. Maybe "See Also". I'll add it to the list of things to do

Cheers,

- Pete

One you might be interested in Pete...

Lang's Short-tailed Blue Female

Definitely. Thanks Martin! I'll be adding the latest contributions in the next few days, so the more the merrier

Cheers,

- Pete

Now that I've looked properly - this looks like a Long-tailed Blue to me.

For Lang's Short-tailed Blue see:

http://www.leps.it/SpeciesPages/LeptoPirith.htm

Cheers,

- Pete

I agree with Pete - that's a female long-tailed blue. But it's a fantastic picture!! I tried in vain to get something like that this summer when we had a rare influx of long-tailed blues to the Rhône Valley. Outstanding!

Guy

Just a couple of shots I took in Portugal back in 2006




Cheers

Colin

Thanks Colin!

All of the latest contributions on this thread have now been included - I'll go through those received by email shortly. Thanks again to the many contributors!

Cheers,

- Pete

Pete Eeles wrote:Now that I've looked properly - this looks like a Long-tailed Blue to me.

For Lang's Short-tailed Blue see:

http://www.leps.it/SpeciesPages/LeptoPirith.htm

Cheers,

- Pete

WooHoo!!!!!!

I've got hundreds of Lang's on file...I can't believe I didn't realise this was different

I've had a really cr4p day...car broke down this morning, worked all day in the bitter cold with only a 20 minute tea-break, puncture on the way home in Debbie's car...but now I'm on cloud nine

I was browsing the Pieridae section of this site and noticed you had Euchloe simplonia listed, Pete, with the common name 'dappled white'. Therein hangs a tale! The dappled white is ausonia/crameri, despite Higgins and Riley and all the later authors who copied their mistake (some of whom still do)!! Simplonia is the mountain dappled white, named after the Simplon Pass, where it is quite common.

I have plenty of pictures of simplonia, if that really is the species you mean, but only one rubbish one of crameri because I never go south at the right time of year. I also have some of the identical ausonia, but that would be cheating!

I'd be interested to know which species is really intended.

Guy

Thanks Guy - yes, I'd be interested to know what species was intended too! I took the information from Emmet and Heath, where they do state that they followed the convention set by Higgins and Riley

So - should it be Eastern Dappled White (ausonia) or Western Dappled White (crameri)? Emmet and Heath do make mention of an instance of "simplonia" being labelled as crameri.

Cheers,

- Pete

Right - changed to "Western Dappled White" and "crameri"

Thanks again Guy!

Cheers,

- Pete