UK Butterflies
Building a Community of Responsible Butterfly Enthusiasts in Britain & Ireland
Building a Community of Responsible Butterfly Enthusiasts in Britain & Ireland
This page provides access to all named aberrations of a given species and Goodson & Read (1969) is a key resource in this regard.
Description to be completed.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk
This section contains those aberrations that are considered new, and have yet to be formally defined.
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside the black discoidal spot of the forewings is ringed with blue scales. Sometimes the blue is only on the extreme edge of the surround, white scales showing also. Described from the mixed salmacis group.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside a total disappearance of the discoidal spots, whether white, black, or blue. Described from the mixed salmacis group.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Like quadripuncta Tutt with white discoidal spots on all four wings but showing black pupils. Described from the mixed salmacis group. Presumably this would show more white than albiannulata and is on all four wings. Harrison’s albiannulata had the black discoidal spot ringed with white but he does not say if it is on forewings only; it is a synonym of snelleni ter Haar which occurs among English populations as well as salmacis.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside the black discoidal spots of the forewings are ringed with white. On the hindwings the discoidals are white as in ab. quadripunctata Tutt.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside all four wings show a black discoidal spot, that of the hindwings being fainter but definite.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the hindwing each red lunule is followed by a clear white dash. Underside the same as ab. vedrae Harrison which is an underside form. Described from the mixed salmacis group.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Upperside with white discoidal spots on the forewings as in the Scotch and Durham artaxerxes form. In addition it is suffused along the termen inwardly with bluish-white scales. In some specimens the suffusion is so strong that it would be more correct to describe the ground colour as bluish-white. At first glance it appears to be a hybrid between icarus [Polyommatus icarus, Common Blue] and agestis but it is an aberrant agestis. From Fifeshire and probably restricted to artaxerxes form.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Dwarf form occurring throughout the range of salmacis and artaxerxes, only two thirds the size of typical astrarche [syn. Aricia agestis, Brown Argus]. Underside silvery grey like C. minima [syn. Cupido minimus, Small Blue], the white ocelli very small and indistinct, the row of four near the basal angle reduced to two. The name must be restricted to artaxerxes and salmacis forms.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
At its minimum expression the forewings are powdered with coppery scales appearing as a wedge travelling outwards from the discoidal spot, whilst at its maximum these suffusions display themselves as coppery wedges more or less concentrated along the veins.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Specimens of artaxerxes showing a white discoidal spot on the hindwings as well as the forewings.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Specimens of artaxerxes with the white discoidal spot of the forewings replaced by blue.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Since Stephens described the female of his ‘salmacis’ as possessing a white discoidal spot on the forewings Tutt says there is no name for the male with a white spot and gives ‘similis’ for it. Since these white-spotted examples of both sexes are actually artaxerxes appearing in the mixed population there is no need for the name. If it is used at all it must be restricted to the artaxerxes-like form occurring in the Durham area but it would seem ridiculous to call the female form salmacis and the male form similis.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
