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Which Small White?
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 7:13 pm
by bugboy
Hi, can I get some expert eye's on this chap please, found at Newhaven Tidemills today. In flight the wing tip fooled me to think it was a Large White at first.
Re: Which Small White?
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 8:12 pm
by millerd
Hi Paul!
I'm going to have a go at this... I had a look at the underside shot and there is a quite noticeable fork in vein 7 of the forewing. I think this is supposed to be one of the distinguishing features, making this butterfly a male Small White.
(I'll just go and get my fire extinguisher as others queue up to shoot me down in flames...
)
Cheers,
Dave
Re: Which Small White?
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 8:24 pm
by bugboy
millerd wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 8:12 pm
Hi Paul!
I'm going to have a go at this... I had a look at the underside shot and there is a quite noticeable fork in vein 7 of the forewing. I think this is supposed to be one of the distinguishing features, making this butterfly a male Small White.
(I'll just go and get my fire extinguisher as others queue up to shoot me down in flames...
)
Cheers,
Dave
I did notice that too however I remember reading somewhere that there's some doubt as to whether that's still true now....
Re: Which Small White?
Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:23 pm
by Roger Gibbons
It is almost certainly
rapae (Small) rather than
mannii (Southern Small). Several reasons:
The upf apical mark is quite square in
mannii.
The fw black spot of
mannii is either flat or concave,
rapae not.
The unh colour is pale yellow for
mannii, more distinctly yellow for
rapae.
The famed fork – nearly always true that
rapae has a v7 fork and
mannii does not. The key word is “nearly”. Here is a 100%
rapae with no hint of a fork:
https://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/htm ... re_30May21_
And I believe there are examples of
mannii with a very small fork.
Then there is the pointedness of the fw apex, also the spread of grey unh scales…
Roger
Re: Which Small White?
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2022 2:32 pm
by bugboy
Roger Gibbons wrote: ↑Tue Oct 11, 2022 10:23 pm
It is almost certainly
rapae (Small) rather than
mannii (Southern Small). Several reasons:
The upf apical mark is quite square in
mannii.
The fw black spot of
mannii is either flat or concave,
rapae not.
The unh colour is pale yellow for
mannii, more distinctly yellow for
rapae.
The famed fork – nearly always true that
rapae has a v7 fork and
mannii does not. The key word is “nearly”. Here is a 100%
rapae with no hint of a fork:
https://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/htm ... re_30May21_
And I believe there are examples of
mannii with a very small fork.
Then there is the pointedness of the fw apex, also the spread of grey unh scales…
Roger
Thank you Roger, it was always going to be a long shot, but I shall keep looking