UK Butterflies

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Brown Argus Aberrations

This page provides access to all named aberrations of a given species and Goodson & Read (1969) is a key resource in this regard.

Introduction

Description to be completed.

Unclassified Photos


All Aberrations

Natural History Museum
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ab. nov

This section contains those aberrations that are considered new, and have yet to be formally defined.

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ab. unicolor (Lempke.Tijdschr.Ent.1955.98.p.302.)

= allous Auct.(nec.Hubner.Samml.Eur.Schmett.1834-41.pl.200.f.990.

On the upperside the orange marginal spots fail completely on all four wings. These examples have invariably been called ab. allous Hubner but allous is a continental subspecies. Lempke has given the aberration the name of unicolor to avoid confusion, although under the rules concerning infra-specific forms the name ab. allous could still stand.

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ab. semi-allous (Harrison.Ent.Rec.1906.18.p.236.)

= semiallous Hannemahn.Int.Ent.Z.1916.10.p.8

On the upperside the row of red spots becoming obsolete. Transitional to ab. unicolor Lempke.

Natural History Museum
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ab. pallidior (Oberthür.Lep.Comp.1910.4.p.253.,fig.Lep.Comp.X.p.291.f.2378.)

= straminea-marginata Frohawk.Vars.Brit.Butts.1938.pl.27.f.7.

On the upperside the row of marginal lunules are yellow instead of orange or red.

Natural History Museum
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ab. albisignata (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.233.)

On the upperside of the hindwings there is an outer edging of white between the marginal black spots and the margin. These black spots are situated on the outer edge of the orange lunules and are not present in all agestis.

Natural History Museum
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ab. caeruleosignata (Verity.Farf.Diurn.It.1943.2.p.206.)

On the upperside of the hindwings there is an outer edging [of blue] between the orange lunules and the margin.

Natural History Museum
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ab. graafii (ver Huell.Sepp.Ned.Ins.1855.7.Preface.p.III.fig.title page.)

On the upperside the marginal lunules are white instead of orange or red.

Natural History Museum
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ab. snelleni (ter Haar.Onze.Vlinders.1900.p.13.)

= albiannulata Harrison.Ent.Rec.1906.18.p.236.

On the upperside of the forewings the black discoidal spot is ringed with white.

Natural History Museum
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ab. supracuneata (Lempke.Tijdschr.Ent.1955.98.p.303.)

On the upperside of the hindwings is a white wedge-shaped line from the orange marginal spots in the direction of the base, corresponding with the white dash on the underside.

Natural History Museum
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ab. pseudo-cramera (Vorbrodt.Mitt.Schweiz.Ent.Ges.1917.12.p.446.)

Lempke includes this form but the name [is considered] nom. nudem. Vorbrodt merely says “cramera Eschh. Courvoisier caught specimens inseparable from this around Basel in the first half of May. He suggests that such examples which in the underside are sometimes grey and sometimes red-brown, be called pseudo-cramera”. Lempke says the orange lunules of the upperside large, only separated by the veins. Aricia cramera, Southern Brown Argus, is a species from the Canary Islands etc. and has this characteristic.

Natural History Museum
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ab. lilliputana (Oberthür.Lep.Comp.1916.10.p.386.p.291.f.2384.Sicily.f.2385.Sebdou.)

= minor Blackie.Entom.1919.52.p.234.
= microdes Cabeau.Rev.Mens.Soc.Ent.Nam.1922.22.p.54.
= sebdouca Strand.(nom.nov.pro.lilliputana.Oberthür).Arch.Naturg.(1925).1927.91.[?]12.

Very small specimens of various sizes. Oberthür’s ab. lilliputana was from Sicily and Sebdou. Some authors, including Verity and Bollow, place lilliputana Oberthür as an ab. of cramera [Aricia cramera, Southern Brown Argus]. Strand for reasons best known to himself renamed it sebdouca. The specimen figured first 9from Sicily) is an agestis and Oberthür’s name must stand for this.

Natural History Museum
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ab. albicans (Aurivillius.Nord.Fjar.1888.p.13.)

The underside of the wings almost white, the ocelli absent or very small, their white rings not visible because of the white ground.

Natural History Museum
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ab. deleta (Cockerell.Entom.1889.22.p.99.)

Underside pearly white with bright marginal lunules. The normal black spots absent except for the discoidal spots and two small spots on the hindwings near the inner margin.

Natural History Museum
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ab. impunctata (Oberthür.Lep.Comp.4.p.253.,fig.Lep.Comp.10.pl.290.)

= caeca Blachier.Bull.Soc.Lep.Gen.1910.2.p.54.pl.1.f.13.
= caeca Courvoisier.Iris.1912.26.p.63.

Underside flax-grey, all ocellated spots absent except the discoidals.

Natural History Museum
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ab. antero-obsoleta (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.258.)

On the underside of the forewings obsolescence of the spotting. Lempke has restricted the name to obsolescence of the submedian spots.

Natural History Museum
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ab. postico-obsoleta (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.258.)

On the underside of the hindwings obsolescence of the spotting.

Natural History Museum
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ab. obsoleta (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.258.)

= paucipuncta Courvoisier.Iris.1912.26.p.63.

The underside showing obsolescence of the spots on all four wings.

Natural History Museum
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ab. albolimbata (Lempke.Tijdschr.Ent.1955.98.p.304.)

On the underside of the forewings the black terminal spots fail so that a broad white outer border results.

Natural History Museum
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ab. cuneata (Carter & Harrison.Entom.1921.54.p.249.fig.p.50.)

The underside ashen-grey with all the ocellated spots absent except the discoidals. There are five interneural wedge-shaped dashes of lighter ground colour situated in the apical area of the forewings between the marginal lunules and the discoidal spot, divided only by the blackish veins. The marginal spots are progressively obsolescent from the anal angle to the apex. Hindwings slightly ochreous-white, the veins finely black, the interneural wedges brown. Described from the mixed salmacis group but could occur in other populations.

Natural History Museum
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ab. uniformata (Peerdeman.Ent.Ber.(Amst.).1962.22.p.41.pl.3.)

On the underside the spots on all four wings are without the usual white rings and the hindwings without the white streak, giving a much more unicolorous appearance.

Natural History Museum
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ab. nigropunctata (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.247.)

The underside coffee coloured, the white rings of the ocelli having disappeared, only the black spots remaining. Hindwings with no white wedge or sear. Described from the mixed salmacis group but probably occurring in other populations.

Natural History Museum
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ab. parvipuncta (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.258.)

On the underside the spots are very small.

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ab. crassipuncta (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.258.)

On the underside the spots are very large.

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ab. suffusa (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.259.)

On the underside the spots are black but suffused, the ground colour white.

Natural History Museum
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ab. pluripuncta (Courvoisier.Iris.1912.XI.p.58.)

On the underside extra small spots appear in the submedian-descoidal spot area, usually on the forewings.

Natural History Museum
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ab. discreta (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.259.)

On the underside the submedian spots are thrown outwards nearer to the marginal lunules.

Natural History Museum
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ab. glomerata (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.259.)

On the underside the submedian spots are drawn inwards towards the discoidal spot, making a sort of semicircle around it.

Natural History Museum
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ab. separata (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.234.)

On the underside of the hindwings the upper submedian spot is brought inwards towards the upper basal spot and therefore widely separated from the submedian spot, which usually almost touches it. Hardly worthy of a name, one spot being slightly out of its usual line; ab. directa Tutt and ab. intrusa Tutt are very similar.

Natural History Museum
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ab. directa (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.234.)

On the underside of the hindwings the second submedian spot is directly under the first or costal spot, instead of being slightly exterior to it.

Natural History Museum
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ab. intrusa (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.234.)

On the underside of the hindwings the second submedian spot is nearer, sometimes considerably nearer, the base than its normal position, which is slightly exterior to the topmost submedian.

Natural History Museum
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ab. costajuncta (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.259.)

On the underside of the hindwings the topmost submedian spot is connected with the upper basal spot to form a streak or bar.

Natural History Museum
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ab. retrojuncta (Lempke.Tijdschr.Ent.1955.98.p.304.)

On the underside the penultimate submedian spot is connected with an opposite basal spot to form a streak or bar.

Natural History Museum
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ab. elongata (Courvoisier.Ent.Z.1910.24.p.126.)

On the underside the submedian spots are elongated into streaks but do not connect with any other spots.

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ab. discojuncta (Lempke.Tijdschr.Ent.1955.98.p.304.)

On the underside of the forewings one of the submedian spots is connected with the discoidal spot.

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ab. subtus-radiata (Oberthür.Etudes.1896.20.p.24.pl.4.f.51.)

= radiata Oberthür.Lep.Comp.1910.4.p.253.
= radiata Courvoisier.Ent.Z.1910.24.p.126.
= striata Frohawk.Vars.Brit.Butts.1938.p.116.

On the underside the submedian spots are connected with the marginal chevrons in short bars.

Natural History Museum
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ab. striata (Curtis.Trans.Ent.Soc.S.Eng.1933.8.p.107.)

NO DESCRIPTION

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ab. peraurantia (Bright & Leeds.Mon.Corid.1941.p.139.)

On the underside of the forewings the orange lunules normally extend from the tornus up to the apex. In peraurantia these are reduced in number.

Natural History Museum
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ab. carteri (Harrison.Vasculum.1928.14.p.139.)

On the underside of the hindwings there is a total absence of the black pupil to the white discoidal scar. Described from the mixed salmacis group but may well occur in all races.

Natural History Museum
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ab. vedrae (Harrison.Ent.Rec.1905.17.p.281.)

On the underside of the hindwings all the white ocelli together with their black pupils are absent except two, the discal scar (without pupil) and a minute one (with pupil) near the anal angle, not even the white ocelli occur as in ab. artaxerxes, in consequence the ground colour appears darker brown. The forewings are normal in the majority of examples but in extreme cases they follow the hindwings exactly. The upperside with the discoidal spot edged with white scales. Described from the mixed salmacis group and apparently meant to be restricted to it. If not, it has priority over obsoleta Tutt.

Natural History Museum
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ab. semi-vedrae (Harrison.Ent.Rec.1906.18.p.236.)

The underside of the hindwings tending towards obsolescence. Described from the mixed salmacis population.

Natural History Museum
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ab. brunnescens (Harrison.Ent.Rec.1906.18.p.237.)

Underside of the wings of a rich warm brown, almost chocolate, the white scar or wedge of the hindwings suffused with brown, the fringes sharply divided into an inwards white band and an outer brown band. Described from the mixed salmacis population and possibly confined to it in the Durham area.

Natural History Museum
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ab. fumata (Tutt.Brit.Lep.1912.XI.p.247.)

Underside of all four wings of a curious smoky-black with the spots almost obscured. Described from the mixed salmacis population in the Durha area.

Natural History Museum
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ab. sarmatis (Grum-Grshimailo.(in Frohawk).Vars.Brit.Butts.1938.pl.27.f.5.)

This is completely incorrect; sarmatis is a subspecies from Russia with white underside. Frohawk’s specimen has no spots except the discoidal on a whitish ground and belongs to ab. albicans Aurivillius [Goodson & Read].

Natural History Museum
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