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Where I was staying in SW France last week there was a scrubby flowery meadow that had not been cut since 2020. Lots of insects including what I assumed were Heath Fritillary. I believe this species can be variable in both size and markings but the more I look at the photographs I took and my books the more I doubt my ID.
Please can anyone help with ID and provide tips on distinguishing characteristics . Many thanks.

To me, these are both entirely compatible with Melitaea nevadensis, the southern species of heath fritillary. The only other option is Melitaea deione, the Provençal fritillary, which I cannot rule either out or in. The crescent mark (or lack of) in s.2 of the forewing is not visible in these pictures, and I would normally like an upperside too. I've never found the thing about the palpi very convincing: it's supposed to be black on the ventral side of the tip in heath frit and orange in Provençal, but in Switzerland at least they all look black and orange! My experience of the nominate subspecies of Provençal is very limited because in Switzerland we have a very distinctive and very different subspecies, berisalii. Roger G has a lot more experience of deione and may see something here that is decisive - as may others.

Guy

Many thanks for your comprehensive response. I shall study my other photographs.

Some other photographs of some of the Fritillaries in the meadow that illustrate the variation and may help ID.