www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I found this very unusual butterfly last weekend, near the coast at Forvie Sands Nature Reserve just north of Aberdeen, where the usual seasonal flight of dark green fritillaries was in evidence. It was behaving very like a DGF and my suspicions were supported by a similarly marked butterfly in the UKB gallery. It is surprising that a butterfly can be so different from the usual appearance and yet display an apparently recognisable aberrant form. I have observed these butterflies at this location over several years but have never seen anything like this before.

Amazing sighting! I've never seen anything like it.

This is very similar:

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/ ... xonID=9099

Guy

That's at great find Ken, thanks for sharing it with us.
I will get the images into the Species-Specific Album tomorrow.

Regards
Vince

Very interesting - I have read somewhere (Thomas and Lewington?) about a dark Scottish variation scotica but this is the first picture I've seen. Presuming this is scotica of course. Excellent work!

That is a brilliant find and photo.

Q. Are extreme forms like this genetic or temperature related? Probably no definitive answer.

Jack

Jack Harrison wrote:Q. Are extreme forms like this genetic or temperature related? Probably no definitive answer.

I believe that some melanic forms have been reproduced using "temperature shock" of a newly-formed pupa. However, the jury is definitely out with some aberrations and I'd agree that we can't be definitive.

Cheers,

- Pete

A_T wrote:Very interesting - I have read somewhere (Thomas and Lewington?) about a dark Scottish variation scotica but this is the first picture I've seen. Presuming this is scotica of course. Excellent work!

The scotica form "has much heavier black markings on both upper and undersides, especially in the female.". However, this extreme example is definitely an aberration!

Cheers,

- Pete

ab - "wimani" ??

I believe that Rupert Barrington recorded an example of this very rare & beautiful aberration on a small islet/island off the west coast of Ireland a few years ago? Certainly a brilliant & very beautiful find and photograph.
Cheers.....Lee Slaughter.

Stunning find. I've never seen any fritillary so extremely suffused like that.

Thanks for sharing.

Yes,cracking,never seen anything remotely like it-what a find!

Quite extaordinary. Thanks for posting it,so we can all marvel at it!

Sudden frost at the chrysalis stage can produce aberrations in Heath Fritillaries, but don't think this is the case this year...

I saw one almost exactly the same on Whitbarrow, Cumbria - must be about 5 or 6 years ago. Couldn't get a photo unfortunately.

After doing some reading, I would agree that this seems to be a particularly splendid example of ab.wimani.

According to Emmet and Heath, vol.7 part 1 "(Variation is) uncommon but occurs more frequently in hot summers."..."The black markings on the upperside may be extended and confluent so as to cover much or almost all of the wings ... more extreme (form) ab, wimani Holmgren; an example ... occurred in the drought summer of 1976 (personal observation)".

Russwurm (1978) illustrates a specimen taken nr. Canterbury in 1906, while T.G.Howarth (1973) shows one from Braithwaite, Cumberland, dated 1907. Neither of these illustrations, however, seems to have such striking orange and black bands along the trailing edges of the wings, though this may be down to the age of the specimens when they were illustrated.

Certainly, a remarkable and beautiful find which, as some others have suggested, may be linked to recent high temperatures.

Mike

i'd be happy to have a normal DGF sit like that for photos let alone a belter like that.

David M wrote:Stunning find. I've never seen any fritillary so extremely suffused like that.

Thanks for sharing.

These shots of an aberrant Silver-washed Fritillary were taken at Alice Holt forest in July 2011. I think you'll agree it almost matches the DGF for extreme suffusion.
Apologies for the poor quality of the photos which were taken off a TV screen from video footage.