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Post by nomad on Feb 1, 2014 3:44:13 GMT -8
I am looking through some old photographs that I took in the Swiss Alps and the Dolomites, when I just came across these. I think that I may have correctly identified the Fritilliaries? but please can you tell me what is the Blue feeding on the horses dung near a mountain village in the Dolomites. Peter.   Euphydrayas[ Hypodrayas] maturna. Dolomites.  Clossiana titania? Swiss Alps. |
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Post by nomad on Feb 1, 2014 3:55:15 GMT -8
It looks to me like a species of Large Blue?
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Post by nomad on Feb 1, 2014 4:12:28 GMT -8
Another image taken at the same time in the Dolomities, the same species? The butterflies were visiting the dung on a narrow track with a large meadow nearby.  |
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Post by miguel on Feb 1, 2014 6:27:53 GMT -8
Hello,
I think is Plebejus argus.
Miguel
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Post by nomad on Feb 1, 2014 6:53:11 GMT -8
Thank you for your help, but I believe not Plebejus argus, these seemed too large and had a totally different underside. Here is the verso of P. argus, which is quite a small butterfly .  |
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Post by nomad on Feb 1, 2014 7:20:50 GMT -8
Gosh, it seems by memory of those butterflies have faded and they have grown larger. I have seen a number of the extinct British set specimens of Cyaniris semiargus, but took these to be another species. They are it seems Cyaniris semiargus, which shows there is really no substitute for also seeing the living butterflies often in the field. Next time I visit European mountains, I will take a good guide book. I was then visiting the Dolomites on a tour of its botanical delights.
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Post by nomad on Feb 1, 2014 7:31:39 GMT -8
British specimens of Cyaniris semiargus did not seem to have the very wide black margin band? I wonder if the early collectors in Britain, ever took this species at dung.
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Post by lepidofrance on Feb 1, 2014 13:34:58 GMT -8
The Clossiana from Swiss Alps seems to be C. titania cypris Meigen, 1828.
The Blue on horse dung : Glaucopsyche alexis Poda, 1761 ?
Guide des Papillons d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord, by Tolman & Lewington, page 90, about G. alexis : "Male upperside, the dark margin is sometimes broad ..."
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Post by nomad on Feb 2, 2014 1:40:52 GMT -8
Thank you Jean-Marc for the positive IDs, I was previously given the semiargus ID by another member.
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Post by nomad on Feb 2, 2014 2:51:22 GMT -8
I am getting a bit confused here, but I think it is now clear, thanks to the help of the member Radovan who has commented on these images, which I also posted on face book. It does now appear they are indeed Cyaniris semiargus and are not Glaucopsyche alexis. The wide submarginal bands differ in the populations of semiargus across europe. See this link of semiargus with a wide band. www.guypadfield.com/images2005/semiargus1.jpg. However as he has pointed out. The verso spots are more of less the same size in semiargus, which the butterflies have on the dung, but in alexis they are quite a bit larger on the forewing. See www.guypadfield.com/greenundersideblue.html In this image that appears to be a female semiargus at the top.  He also mentions that the Euphdrayas is probably intermedia and not maturna because the later flies in lowland areas. However Guy Padfield has maturna flying high in the wooded valleys in the mountains where I found this single butterfly that was trying to keep warm , it had started to rain. Any comments on the Fritillary image would be most welcome. |
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Post by o0osteve on Feb 2, 2014 9:53:58 GMT -8
You have got Hypodryas intermedia it is a high altitude fritillary which flies in the Alps and Dolomites.
Hypodryas maturna is a low altitude fritillary.
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Post by o0osteve on Feb 2, 2014 10:15:46 GMT -8
I would say it is Cyaniris semiargus also if you look at the underside of the hindwing and look at the row of ocellus the second one from the costa is displaced.
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Post by nomad on Feb 2, 2014 11:31:42 GMT -8
Thanks Steve, for the ID. It seems those that suggested Euphydryas [ Hypodryas] intermedia were right. I believe the intermedia is quite a uncommon butterfly. We found it at 1800 meters at the tree-line. Its English name seems to be the Asian Fritillary.
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Post by rumina on Mar 19, 2014 5:18:56 GMT -8
Nomad hello, can I ask you where you took these pictures? I live near the Dolomites and the Intermediate I met her several times, but considering that the species is quite rare I'd understand if it comes from one of the places I know.
However, it is definitely intermediate, unfortunately we have no maturna, you can find it only in Slovenia (noun form) where it is still very rare in Piedmont (italic form) discovered about 10 years ago and present in an amount absolutely unusual for the scepie, usually sporadic. (if I can find the photos you post).
the lycaenidae are almost certainly Semiargus
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Post by nomad on Mar 19, 2014 10:09:55 GMT -8
Nomad hello, can I ask you where you took these pictures? I live near the Dolomites and the Intermediate I met her several times, but considering that the species is quite rare I'd understand if it comes from one of the places I know. However, it is definitely intermediate, unfortunately we have no maturna, you can find it only in Slovenia (noun form) where it is still very rare in Piedmont (italic form) discovered about 10 years ago and present in an amount absolutely unusual for the scepie, usually sporadic. (if I can find the photos you post). the lycaenidae are almost certainly Semiargus Hi rumina - the intermediate photo was taken in a side valley of the Val de Fassa at around 1800 meters. Peter. |
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