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)
The ground colour of the upperside pure white with no trace of the normal tint. Underside with a slight trace of fulvous on the veins.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The ground colour whitish-yellow instead of reddish. Spuler names this form in athalia when dealing with M. aurelia [Melitaea aurelia, Nickerl’s Fritillary] but strangely enough does not mention it under athalia, probably because he dealt with athalia first.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Forewings whitish, slightly yellow. Hindwings normal in colour.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The parts at the base not fox-red but white-yellow. On the forewings this pale colour extends from the base as far as the black central band so that only the two outermost rows of spots remain fox-red. The hindwings are similar.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female with yellower ground colour. Tutt for some reason best known to himself seems to have thought ab. leucippe of Schneider was a pale ground colour form, despite what he said about it in Brit.Butts.p.305, merely that it had the outermost rows of spots of a different colour. The true ab. leucippe Schneider is the specimen figured in Esper as maturna.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The fulvous spots forming the central band are widened, making a distinct median band of fulvous.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
A form in which the spots are partly orange and partly ochre-yellow, a colour type which appears in other species of Melitaea. On the forewings the median row of spots is orange-red with light yellow centres in front of the costa. The spots on the outside of the median cell and in the darkened basal half, are also dark reddish-yellow, but the spots of the basal inner and outer bands are light reddish-yellow. The first part of this description is taken from Hormuzaki’s later article in Verh.zool.-bot.Ges.Wien.66.p.407 which appears more simple than the somewhat puzzling original one [Goodson & Read].
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Males with a tendency to have dark bases to the wings.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside the broad median band and also the marginal moons, are very light, those of the female bone white.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside a failure, or partial failure, of the transverse lines, the wings in consequence becoming more fulvous.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside the subcostal line is entirely reduced, the median very much so, and the submarginal strongly or completely absent. The same as Tutt’s ab. obsoleta but since the individual lines are described it may be kept separate.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the forewings the submarginal band is effaced and the antemarginal one only feebly marked.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside the patterning is very faint, the marginal band, the submarginal band, and the spots in the cell only remaining but broad black radiations along the veins are prominent. Hindwings more or less normal but also show this pattern **** radiation.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= eos Haworth.Lep.Brit.1803.p.35.
= samonica Reisen.Stett.Ent.Z.1891.52.p.357.
= molpadia Varin.Lamb.1933.33.p.6.pl.2.figs.3-4.
The figure in Hübner shows the forewings fulvous with dark base and black costal spot in the cell. There is a thin postmedian line from costa to inner margin and a black marginal band. The hindwings are all black except for a row of fulvous spots in the submarginal area. Underside forewings with black fascia. Haworth’s eos would appear to be the same form - forewings fulvous with some black markings at the base and a black postmedian line. Hindwings black with a row of spots before the margin. Underside with black fascia on forewings. Reisen’s samonica has the same description but the underside is normal so could be separated if desired, but genetically is almost certainly the same form. Varin’s molpadia has the forewings fulvous with blackish base and thin postmedian line from costa to inner margin and the hindwings black with a row of fulvous spots before the margin. The chief character of this form is the lack of the usual bands of black spots on the forewings, with the exact opposite on the hindwings, which are all black except for the marginal fulvous spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
An extreme form of ab. corythallia Hübner which on the upperside of the forewings lacks the postmedian line seen in corythallia. The figure shows the forewings with dark basal area, which encloses two or three spots of fulvous. The rest of the wing has no markings except a thin marginal line with its fulvous lunules, the veins slightly dusted with black giving a somewhat rayed effect. Hindwings upperside blackish-brown with some trace of fulvous spots in the basal area and a row of fulvous spots before the margin. Underside of the forewings with the basal half deep black, the outer half fulvous with a thin marginal line. Hindwings underside with deep black median band and black basal spots which are confluent and join up with the median band, there is no yellowish-white between them. The outer part of the wing is mostly yellowish-white through the narrowing of the reddish submarginal band. Genetically probably the same as ab. corythallia Hübner.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Upperside of the forewings like ab. corythallia Hübner, dark only at the base, otherwise without transverse lines except an outer marginal band. Hindwings uniformly black with a row of spots before the margin. Differs however on the underside of hindwings, the basal half melanic but the whole of the remaining area whitish-yellow with a hardly visible marginal line. Forewings almost unicolorously pale brown.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Hindwings almost all black. The forewings are not mentioned so presumably are normal.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Name given to the figure in Esper.Eur.Schmett.1.pl.XXX.f.2, which shows the basal half of the upperside of the forewings almost blacked in. Of the fulvous ground colour there remains two blotches near the costa, which is black, and a thin spot just above the inner margin. The outer half is more or less normal. Hindwings completely black in the basal half, the outer half with the row of red submarginal spots large and conspicuous, contrasting with the yellowish marginal and median chains of spots. There seems a lot of confusion over this form. Tutt in his Brit.Butts. merely stresses the difference in colour of the rows of marginal spots which was probably only enhanced by the artist. Again Tutt, in Ent.Rec.10.p.66, gives a totally different description from his earlier one, saying that ab. leucippe is the name for females with yellower ground colour. This had confused Lempke to make Tutt the author of ab. leucippe (nec Schneider), which cannot stand if Schneider’s leucippe is an athalia. The figure in Esper appears to be a definite aberration of athalia but there is no mention of it in Seitz and other works [Goodson & Read].
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= fasciata Vorbrodt.Schmett.Schweiz.1914.2.p.610.,descrpt.vol.!.p.455.
= mirefasciata Cabeau.Rev.Mens.Soc.Ent.Nam.1923.23.p.56.,fig.Lamb.31.pl.3.f.10.
Forewings upperside with a broad black band replacing the usual S mark in the median area, standing out from the rest of the markings. Vorbrodt’s fasciata had a broad black median band on the forewings. Cabeau’s mirefasciata had the postmedian band broad and distinct dividing the wing into two parts. The figure shows it to be what most authors would call the median band, not the postmedian.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Forewings with a black median band so broad that it fills a quarter of the wing, the three thin bands on the outside of it are not fused with it but the nearest one is pushed outwards towards the margin. One of the more extreme of the banded forms.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Forewings upperside with two black bands, a broad one and a somewhat narrower basal one. The broad central one is caused by the space between the two central costal blotches being filled in and this black continues as a broad band down to the inner margin. The second band is near the base and caused by the blacking in of the two transverse lines nearest the base. The figure shows these bands in jet-black, not just darkish brown as seen in many examples. There is a faint spot of ground colour between the joined up costal blotches.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the forewings the two black spots just above the inner margin in the median area are united into a streak. This form is also found in cinxia [Melitaea cinxia, Glanville Fritillary] and according to the author, aurinia [Euphydryas aurinia, Marsh Fritillary]. Also found in some of the Argynnis species.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the forewings the two black lines in the median area unite in the lower part of the wing to form a band. This is quite a common form, which shows a square black blotch just above the inner margin in the centre of the wing.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The figure shows the basal half of the upperside of the forewings black with one or two small spots of fulvous enclosed. The only markings on the outer half are a rather broad black line or band in the postmedian region and a black marginal line or band, thus there are only two lines instead of the normal three. The veins are heavily blackened giving a rayed effect to the wings. Hindwings black with a submarginal row of fulvous spots cut by the blackened nervures. Underside of the hindwings with the basal portion fulvous bordered by black and carrying four large black spots which replace the typical pale yellow ones.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the forewings the black patterning is heavier, the basal and median parts often fusing to form broad bands, the submarginal usually 3mm broad. The fulvous spots are sharply defined, rectangular, in the outer parts square, as in dictynna [syn. Melitaea diamina, False Heath Fritillary]. Hindwings with dark basal area and broad black margins and only a broader row of light coloured spots before the margins. Stauder says he does not know if this is a race or not. It is probably not found amongst English populations.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The figure shows on the upperside of the forewings a broad black transverse band in the postmedian area, not in the median area, where this character is usually found. The median band is broken up into three black blotches and at the base there are three more. It would appear that the fulvous between the median line and the postmedian is replaced by black, followed outwardly by a band of fulvous, and finally by the black margin itself. It must be a very unusual form. The hindwings show a black basal half in which there is a large crescent shaped patch of fulvous ground colour and a broad fulvous submarginal band which continues from the broad similar band on the forewings.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Forewings upperside all black except for small tawny spots forming a vertical line in the centre of the wings. Hindwings completely black.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= navarina de Selys.Cat.Lep.Belg.1837.p.19.,fig.Tijdschr.Ent.42.pl.2.f.3.
= jelineki Joukl.Acta.Soc.Ent.Bohem.1908.5.p.25.fig.p.26.
Forewings upperside black with a submarginal row of fulvous lunules. Hindwings also black with a similar row of fulvous spots. This form has been known for many years as ab. navarina but Verity states that the type of ab. cymathoe Bertolini is in his possession and that it is the same as navarina and has priority over it. Joukl’s jelineki had the upperside completely brown with an anteterminal series of fawn spots. Some authors say black, some brown, according to fading.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Very small and very black. The description is hardly sufficient to be of use.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
All the pattern of the upperside very feeble so that the markings appear light grey wood colour, lighter than the ground. The underside is less different, the usual black pattern being coffee-brown.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Upperside of the hindwings dark brown, there only remains the usual indistinct innermost band, of the normal three yellow-brown bands of spots, thus only a single pale middle band is seen. On the forewings beside the yellow-brown spots in the middle cell, there only remains a strongly interrupted band of similar yellow-brown indistinct spots which extend from the costa in the form of a curve round the middle cell, so that the pattern appears as in Ar. prorsa [Araschnia levana f. prorsa, Map] and numerous other Nymphalidae and the South American Phyciodes.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the hindwings upperside before the margin there is a broad black band from the fringes to the subterminal line.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the hindwings the black line, which borders the extremity of the cell, is broken up into circular dots or spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the forewings the black median band of ab. atrovittata Turati is entirely missing with the exception of two or three small black spots. The underside of the hindwings is similar to ab. nigropunctata Caruel, having the silvery basal spaces replaced by small black spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside the margins are dark, the normal fulvous lunules being almost absent. Similar in appearance to berisali Rühl, which was originally described as an aberration of athalia, but has since been proved to be a subspecies of M. dejone [syn. Melitaea deione, Provençal Fritillary].
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the light basal markings are surrounded by brownish-black dusting.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the basal area shows one, two, or more black spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the basal area is fulvous bordered externally with black. At the base itself there are two small black points and in the middle of the cell a third black spot, larger and pupilled with yellow. The rest of the wing pale yellow with an incomplete postmedian band and a broad submarginal fulvous band, regular and powdered with black, and finally a narrow marginal band of typical yellow. Upperside normal.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Underside of the hindwings with the basal area fawn bordered with black and with a single black spot in the cell. The rest of the wing pale yellow with a fawn antemarginal band which is not bordered with black, and with the typical pale fawn narrow marginal band surmounted interiorly with black triangular interneural spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings there is a fusion of one of the light basal spaces with the light central band space.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the light central space, or spot, in the interior of the cell, is fused with the central light basal spot.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The figure shows the underside of the hindwings yellow with no cream or white markings. The basal spots are aberrant, three of them being united with a fourth spot below them. The usual cream median band has its dividing line right through its centre and is bright yellow, compared with the rest of the wing, which is dusky-yellow. The marginal moons are bright yellow and all nervures black and the median yellow band is edged with black. This was copied by Stephens from one of Petiver’s figures in Papiliones Britanniae. These are somewhat inexact and whether or not such a form exists is open to doubt [Goodson & Read].
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Underside of the forewings with longitudinal fuscous stripes.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Underside of the forewings with black streaks in the median area divided by the veins and two or three marginal streaks towards the apex. Hindwings similar but with rather thicker rays at the margins and with no white fascia.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the margins are broadly coppery.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the narrow space between the thin black marginal lines is considerably darker than the marginal moons in front of it.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the central band is bordered on both sides by a thick black line.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the colour of the prominent yellowish-white median band is replaced by leaden-grey, leaving only a thin edging of normal colour on each side.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the light median band is not divided by a line or by black spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the light streak on the inner margin has disappeared.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the extreme anal cell is quite devoid of markings or radiation for the whole of its length, as far as the base of the wing.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings one or several interneural spaces are completely fulvous or yellow, from the base of the wing as far as the black line, which precedes the submarginal band.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Underside of the hindwings uniformly fulvous as far as the median band, the basal spot being almost absent. On the upperside the wings are more conspicuously bordered with black and the black transverse bands of the forewings are narrower. This would seem to be primarily an underside form.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Underside of the hindwings almost white. The upperside fulvous with slight reticulations.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
