www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Photographed at Pensthorpe, Norfolk last month - in the butterfly garden! (well it would be, wouldn't it?)
Similar markings to tortoiseshell, but the colours don't appear to be right.
I'm out of ideas - can anyone throw any light on this?

Thanks
Peter

Hi Peter,

This is definitely a Small Tortoiseshell aberration - either "pallida" or "semialba". I'd favour pallida:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-cur ... scientific

rather than semialba:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-cur ... scientific

Cheers,

- Pete

I would say it is certainly ab. lutea - and a fantastic example!!

Felix.

Haven't gone through my books too - I'd agree that lutea is also a possibility - and semialba isn't!

Not sure what the difference between pallida and lutea is though

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks for the clarification.

Best regards
Peter

In September I spotted an aberrant Small Tortoiseshell among a large colony of ordinary ones. I reached for the camera but was too late... it zoomed off and i could not find it again

The main impression of difference was a solid black margin to the forewing with no white patches. The sketch gives an idea of what the front looked like.

This was definitely a Small Tortoiseshell not a Red Admiral etc

Charles

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-cur ... mat%3dlist
Is it here?

Thanks for posting that Hamearis....

Out of the ones you show i would say that osborni or leodiensis were the closest. The colours were much

more vibrant in my specimen. Of the two i would say that osborni was closer.

charles