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Scarce Tortoiseshell update:

A photograph of a Scarce Tortoiseshell taken at Beckley Woods, East Sussex by Stuart Cooper has just been found in the Sussex BC sightings archive, having been labelled as a Large Tortoiseshell. The significant factor is that this sighting on 12th March 2014 implies that the butterfly overwintered here and must have arrived in the UK during the summer of 2013. This pre-dates the observed main influx of this species into Britain.
Reported by Neil Hulme viewtopic.php?t=8211&start=20#p105521 with credit to Michael Blencow for making the connection.
Vince

This is a difficult one, and I'm prepared to be shot down in flames, but I'm not convinced that this is a Scarce Tortoiseshell. I would welcome an opinion from Pieter.

M.

Mikhail wrote:This is a difficult one, and I'm prepared to be shot down in flames, but I'm not convinced that this is a Scarce Tortoiseshell. I would welcome an opinion from Pieter.

While we are waiting for Pieter (Vantieghem), it's worth perhaps noting what he said about this earlier photo: "The marginal band on the frontwing is broadening to the apex, in large tortoiseshell it normally gets slimmer to a the smallest point at the subapex. " This factor does seem to point to Scarce Tortoiseshell for the present image.

Hi
I am quit sure that this one is a Scarce, look at the black marginal border at the hindwing, here it is "unclear" at the Large it is muchs sharper.
Here is a Scarce from Denmark 2013
best regards John V

Thanks Mikhail, Mike and John for your input. I was convinced by the opinions being expressed at the Sussex AGM when the photo was presented, but also noticed the "Yellow Leg" that no one has yet mentioned

Vince

I only wish I knew enough about these two species to distinguish them from one another!

They look separable in the field guides, but as ever, real butterflies don't always conform to the images in these guides.

Hi all,

I confidently attributed this to xanthomelas on the following grounds:

1) The dark marginal band on the hind wing is broad, and as it diffuses towards the discal zone it overlays the rich reddish orange ground colour. There are no pale yellow (or bleached, off-white) blotches or crescents running between the dark marginal band and reddish orange ground colour of the discal zone.

2) The black basal block on the hind wing meets the reddish orange ground colour of the discal zone with only the merest hint of a paler area.

3) The dark marginal band on the forewing widens gradually towards the apex. This band is wider in the sub-apex region than it is towards the tornus.

4) The pale panel closest to the apex, on the leading edge of the forewing, is white rather than pale yellow (although this can bleach white in polychloros).

5) The overall ground colour is better for xanthomelas.

6) The pale, straw colouration of the extended front leg is clearly visible. The legs of polychloros are a dark chocolate brown.

To my eye, this specimen is a perfect match for xanthomelas.

BWs, Neil

I was initially unconvinced too, as there are no individual wing features on this butterfly I haven't seen in large tortoiseshells. But the combination of all the features, coupled with the leg, brought me round to xanthomelas. I consider myself unbiased as I downloaded the picture on my iPhone this morning while walking the dog, before anyone had commented, and considered it, without any other influence, for the rest of the walk. By the time I got home I was pretty confident it was xanthomelas.

Guy

A fascinating way to sex Hairstreaks is outlined in the thread linked below by Jamie Burston using the size ratio of the head compared to the leading edge of the forewing, basically males have big heads!
viewtopic.php?f=108&t=8654#p105539

Guy:

....downloaded the picture on my iPhone this morning while walking the dog, before anyone had commented, and considered it, without any other influence, for the rest of the walk. By the time I got home I was pretty confident it was xanthomelas.

You're slacking Guy. You haven't told us the dog's opinion.

Jack

An excellent and interesting detailed report of overwintering Red Admiral larvae as observed by Paul Harfield during the winter of 2014/2015. Posted in his UKB Personal Diary.
viewtopic.php?f=29&t=6085&start=420#p105800

Vince