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Very Small Skipper?
Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 4:37 pm
by JohnR
I only briefly saw this but it gave me the impression of being a half-size Small Skipper. Any suggestions?
- V Small Skipper.jpg (33.92 KiB) Viewed 296 times
Re: Very Small Skipper?
Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 9:30 pm
by David M
Looks fairly proportioned to me (and this last month I've spent far more time than I'd like to admit on all fours examining these critters).
Re: Very Small Skipper?
Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 10:17 am
by JohnR
Does dwarfism occur in butterflies? This one was certainly smaller than the other Small Skippers in my field.
Re: Very Small Skipper?
Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 10:53 am
by Lee Hurrell
Hi John,
It does, but only rarely. I would imagine climate, temperature and foodplant availability are the main contributory factors.
I remember as a kid going to Watkins & Doncaster in Hawkhurst, Kent and they had display cases in the shop with miniature specimens of most UK species. Fascinating.
I saw a half size male Meadow Brown recently, about the size of a large Small Copper.
Cheers
Lee