www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi, I came across this CB (Male) on Portsdown Hill, Hampshire on 10/9/20, the two black dots nearest to the abdomen are very close together, it was smaller than a normal CB. I have searched NHM records plus other AB. records but cannot find anything similar. Has anyone any ideas on this. Thanks in advance, Mike

Hi Mike,

I think that probably counts as "within normal variation", though the line between that concept and calling something an ab. is a very hazy one. A lot of "aberrations" were named by the Victorian collectors who were a little obsessive on the subject and seemed to concentrate on certain species more than others (Chalkhill Blues for example). It is actually quite difficult to give a realistic definition of what counts as an aberration and what doesn't.

With your particular butterfly, I've seen similar examples where those two spots are actually joined in a sort of dumbbell shape, so this is a sort of intermediate version.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Dave for info, i was not sure if it was an Ab. or not. Cheers, all the best, Mike