Satyrinae of the Western Palearctic - One Year On

Hi Claude & Peter,
Yes you're both right. The height of the mountains is irrelevant as butterflies are interested in microclimates. The development of the larvae needs a particular temperate which can be found either at higher elevations in Central/South Europe or at lower elevations in Northern Europe. The microclimate would be roughly the same. I heard of people who bred Parnassius apollo in fridges in their house which is situated close to the sea in Italy and this shows that elevation is not important. As long as the insect has the required microclimate available, then it would be fine for it to grow and survive.

@ Peter - I got fascinated with Satyrinae when I went for a collecting trip in Turkey way back in 2005. I loved collecting the beautiful Chazara & Pseudochazara especially, and that is from where I decided to focus my energies on Satyrinae. These 2 genera are still my most favorite genera and seeing a fresh Chazara bischoffii in flight makes one wonders how a brown butterfly can be so beautiful. When one takes a Satyrinae specimen on itself, I can understand that its beauty is not immediately apparent but when this subfamily is analysed in its entirety, then it becomes evident that the browns can be beautiful.

Re. the British specimens, yes, Britain can be an exception since it's a very wet island and true sunshine can be quite a rarity. I guess you visited Lake District sometime between end June and mid July, right? Normally in Central & South Europe the sun gets too hot for these dark species and the only place where such specimens can be found is under the shade of trees. I noticed this behaviour even on the high altitudes in Switzerland. But as you rightly pointed out, there is always an exception to the rule.

Here's a link to one of my most favorite Satyrinae - both specimens are in my collection : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chazara_bischoffii

I always believed that breeding is the best method to understand a species. In fact currently I have loads of pots with Festuca ovina growing in them as I plan to experiment with some species as from next year. Roughly around 50 or (30%) of the European Satyrinae can grow on F. ovina

@ Radovan - would it be possible to grant me your permission to upload a copy of your paper on my website under the page -scientific papers please?

Peter, interesting your observations on epiphron. When I have collected in Scotland I find C. tullia behave in this way, catching the wind and disappearing. But when I went for epiphron two things struck me. One was how common they were in the locality I went to, and two how damn fast they can fly when chased, and there was very little wind that day. We were lucky in that we actually had a warmish day with patchy cloud, so we could see for ourselves their habit of disappearing when a cloud covered the sun. But they did not just 'drop down into the grass' they actually gradually fluttered down and did fly for a short time after the sun went in.
We got there just as the males were emerging and they were in pristine condition, but too damn quick and wary to photograph. I got one lousy shot of a battered one later! Too early for females obviously, otherwise I would have tried for eggs.

Coenonympha tullia subspecies davus [ Fabricius 1777] Meathrop Moss [2012] NW England resting on Bog Asphodel [ Narthecium ossifragum]

Peter, the place I saw them was north of Trinafour, near Rannoch. It ia superb place for several species and you can drive there! I took several males that time from within a few feet of the car. tullia scotica can be common there also if you hit the right week, as can A. aglaia and B. selene. Coire na Ciste on Cairngorm is also a good place for tullia and many high altitude moths.
I shall be off there again next year all being well.

Wollastoni, I am glad that you enjoyed the images of the British Satyrinae. Britain has a small butterfly fauna, but with lots of interesting subspecies and forms. My favourite British Satyrinae is the stunning Marbled White [ Melanargia galathea] and the Wall Brown [ Lasiommata megera]. My very first two butterflies that I caught with my home made net were two Satyrinae, the first a Small Heath [Coenonympha pamphilus] and the second the Wall Brown on a piece of wasteland near my home. Lasiommata megera is much declined in Southern England but is still frequent on the Wilts downs and still fairly common along the south coast. A few images that I have taken of the species mentioned.


Melanargia galathea on musk thistle.


Lasiommata megera basking male, female egg laying and then resting. The Wall has a very beautifully marked underside.