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Post by nomad on Aug 31, 2013 11:55:29 GMT -8
Recently in another thread, I shared a image of a strange Lycaena phlaeas aberration. I have shown the images to a collector who has a very large collection of British butterfly aberrations and has made a special study of known abs and he was quite amazed when he saw this butterfly. He mentioned that he had never seen anything quite like this. In his opinion the hindwing scales are NOT deformed in anyway and it would be Genetic occurrence. The forewings are similar to ab fuscae but in this specimen there are small yellow central forewing patches and the pale hindwings show much yellow, probably this aberration is new. Here is another image.  |
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Post by sanphilep on Sept 2, 2013 12:09:52 GMT -8
Hi
I have seen this Lycaena phlaeas and it is in my opinion a dark form rather than an aberration.I have studied and collected phlaeas for many years and it is very sensitive to temperature being dark in warn days and lighter on colder days.
I can post you some pictures if you like and see the variation of this species with temperature change.
You can email me on ramarama@maltanet.net as I have not found the way to upload images on the site.
Regards
Aldo
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Post by nomad on Sept 2, 2013 21:18:49 GMT -8
Hi, I would love to see your images of this form of Small copper, the British butterfly collector who has a large collection of phlaeas abbs including many dark ones would have been very interested in having this specimen in his collection, as he has nothing like it, especially the hindwings which are very unusual and are very pale showing white and yellow. I will photograph his collection of abberations [ a drawer ] when I next visit him and post them here. Regards Peter.
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Post by smallcopper on Sept 3, 2013 0:22:13 GMT -8
I'm afraid I'm struggling a bit to see this as anything more than a fairly normal, darkish L.phlaeas on the basis of this photo at least. Which thread is/are the other photo(s) on please, Peter?
Maybe it's my monitor, but I can't see white or yellow on the hindwings; what I am seeing is the 'bronzed' effect that's not that uncommon in L.phlaeas' brown areas when viewed in bright sunlight.
(I too have a pretty extensive collection of L.phlaeas aberrations and forms, and this one isn't leaping out at me! But of course, judging it by one photo may be unfair, as the written description sounds most intriguing indeed).
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Post by nomihoudai on Sept 3, 2013 1:36:47 GMT -8
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Post by smallcopper on Sept 3, 2013 4:16:48 GMT -8
Thank you very much for the link, Claude. Just goes to show how misleading one photo can be when trying to come to conclusions about all manner of wildlife!
On this (http://insectnet.proboards.com/post/34507) photo the hindwings look extremely worn - almost translucent - but the subterminal band is in good condition. The forewings have all along shown symmetrical signs of damage (a bird peck rather than grass cut?), so I do wonder if this specimen has been 'in the wars'... The small 'yellow' patches in the forewings look like worn areas to me rather than actual variance in scale colour.
It's an interesting exercise for me in how misleading photos can be depending on light, angle, etc. but still not ringing any alarm bells as a particularly aberrant specimen, sorry.
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Post by sanphilep on Sept 3, 2013 5:58:23 GMT -8
 Dear All I hope I have made it right and you can see my posting and pictures of phlaeas. Regards Aldo |
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Post by nomad on Sept 3, 2013 8:50:44 GMT -8
I can only say that I am assured by a lepidopterist of many years standing [ Clive Pratt ] that this is a good and unusual aberration. This dark ab is close to male ab fuscae but the latter does not have the pale, whitish yellow hindwings, which in my opinion are not washed out because the bright orange hindwing margin band and the forewings are in good order. Yes, there has been a bird attack, probably because this butterfly stands out from the usual normal forms. Here is the specimen that is figured in Aberrations of British Butterflies [1978] by A D A Russwurm  male ab fuscae. Bolderwood, Hants. 3. 8. 1976. H. G. M. MiddletonHi Sandphilep welcome to the forum, I afraid in the specimens you figured, I can see nothing nothing which approaches the specimen in the image but still very nice butterflies. Regards Peter |
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Post by sanphilep on Sept 3, 2013 9:31:40 GMT -8
Here are some more pictures of L.phlaeas.  |
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Post by sanphilep on Sept 3, 2013 9:50:08 GMT -8
L.phlaeas from Italia and Greece. Attachments:
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Post by nomad on Sept 3, 2013 11:00:10 GMT -8
Hi, I am only familiar with the subspecies eleus [ Fabricius 1798] which occurs in Britain and dark forms with the wide forewing margin band encompassing the spots are I believe regarded as abs, we do not have the kind of seasonal variation which occurs in the nominate race in very warm countries such as Greece. You do have a very nice L. phlaeas collection.
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Post by sanphilep on Sept 3, 2013 11:17:25 GMT -8
Dear Peter
Thanks for your comments.
Here in Malta we have very mild winters and I remember the phlaeas flying in January/February.
They used to be very nice with blue spots on hind wings. Before the sudden extinction of this lycaenidae I had managed to create the mild winter conditions in spring to try getting the forms. These I managed to get with trial and error and in fact the resulting specimens and in my collection I have a range of smaller spots on forewing and light and dark forms.
In mid summer wher temperature reaches 30+centigrade the phlaeas used to shelter under trees to get away from the scorching sun.
Regards
Aldo
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Post by nomad on Sept 3, 2013 11:23:12 GMT -8
Hi Aldo, interesting information, why did this species become extinct in Malta?
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Post by sanphilep on Sept 3, 2013 13:17:28 GMT -8
Hi Peter
As regards the extinction of Phlaeas my theory is that of a combination of factors mainly pollution (pesticides, car exhaust, power station toxic gases, urbanisation, and destruction of habitat(drainage of water supplies for irrigation from valleys.
An other fact is that contaminated rain water that runs from roads to valleys contaminates the food plant and kills lepidoptrous larvae.
There may be other factors being the short rainy season and hotter summer.
Regards
Aldo
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Post by nomihoudai on Sept 3, 2013 14:00:43 GMT -8
When did it become extinct in Malta? I have samples from the 90's, this is a very sudden loss.
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