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)
Male with the ground colour like that of the female, rather pale yellowish. Verity states that Bollow in Seitz Macrolep. is wrong in calling the form albescens and that it should be pallescens. This is not so, the original bears the name albescens.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= fulvocoma Krulikowsky.Rev.Russe.Ent.1907.7.p.29.
Washed with orange-red in the centre of the wings. Krulikowsky’s fulvocoma was a male with pale orange upperside.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Instead of the normal yellow-green the wings are of a warmer colour, the upperside washed with orange, intensified on the nervures. On the underside the hindwings washed with rose-colour, the discoidal spot being coppery-red, not pearly.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= pallida Cockerell.Entom.1889.22.p.4.,from Entom.XI.p.31.
= lactea Uffeln.Jahrb.Westf.Prov.Ver.Wiss.1926.51-52.Sep.p.6.
[Female]. The original description merely says whitish-yellow. Cockerell in Entom.45.p.323 says that the name pallida was used by Robson & Gardner for the light form of the female, properly the typical form. This then is for the whitish or cream form of the female, which appears to be more plentiful than the yellow coloured examples; these are named ab. flava Husz. The colour of the typical female seems in complete doubt, some authors declaring the white form the type and others the yellow form. [Consequently only one of them must be the type form and only one of them an aberration].
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= inversa Alpheraky.Hor.Soc.Ent.Ross.1881.16.p.434.
Female with the ground colour yellow as in the male. The authors of these two names obviously take the type form as being the light or whitish one.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
An extreme form of ab. inversa Alpheraky, with the ground colour deep yellow like the yolk of an egg. Female form.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female. Very small size with yellow colouring and only separable from [ab. canarina Stauder] by its size. Strand gives a lengthy description of the figure, most of the details applying to a typical male, indeed the figure looks extremely like a male, possibly the reason for it being figured.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female with the ground colour greenish, the typical form being tinted with yellow. Mellaerts considered the type to be the yellow form.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female analogous to Colias palaeno [Moorland Clouded Yellow] ab. cretacea. The wings chalky dusted and the colour, escpecially on the forewings, duller and more somber, not greenish-white or yellowish-white but of a slight ochre tint as if some of the colour of the ‘8’ shaped discoidal spot of the hindwings (ochre-yellow) had overflowed into the general colour. The black apex of the forewings is also much more matt and duller.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Females which are whitish faintly tinged with orange.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female. The figure shows the wings with normal whitish ground colour except at the margin of the forewings where at the tornus it is strongly yellow, as are also the spots enclosed in the black marginal band.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= pseudohelice Metschl.Mitt.Munch.Ent.Ges.1922.12.p.6.
A small female with the ground colour greenish-white like ab. [form] helice of Colias croceus [Clouded Yellow]. The spotted black border thicker and not descending to the inner margin as in helice. The base of the forewings and greater part of the hindwings, except the spots in the marginal band, are powdered greenish-grey like helice, and the discoidal spot of the forewings is large. Size 36mm. Metschl’s pseudohelice would appear to be of the same form but of normal size. The wings yellowish-white with heavy black marginal and submarginal spots on all wings, the base of the forewings heavily dusted with blackish. Hindwings, with the exception of the anal fold, completely dusted blackish-grey. The main character would appear to be the darkened hindwings giving the appearance of helice.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female. Wings flat silvery white without any trace of the yellow tint. Hindwings powdered with grey, towards the base blue-grey, the discoidal spot is white as snow instead of the normal orange and the fringes white without a trace of the usual rose colour.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Albino. All black patterning replaced by very pale silvery lilac-grey, the pink fringes showing in contrast.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= gartneri Skala.Verh.Naturf.Ver.Brunn.1913.51.p.96.
All wings of a brownish-grey, unicolorous, without a black border, the discoidal spots showing faintly darker. Lempke in Lamb.36.p.78 gives it with gartneri as a synonym. He also includes ab. melaina Mück but by its description this would appear to be a much blacker form, not brown-grey. Skala first described his gartneri under Colias myrmidone [Danube Clouded Yellow] but corrected it later.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Upperside of all wings unicolorous dark with a suggestion of dull indigo. The thorax and abdomen completely black, the costa, fringes and antennae red, forming a striking contrast. The discoidal spots show faintly darker. When first seen, the specimen was thought to be Aphantopus hyperantus [Ringlet]. [If looking like hyperantus, then melaina would appear to be darker than atava].
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The figure shows irregular black marks , streaks and spots in the centre of the left forewing. Most probably pathological and not worthy of a name.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The pigment of the black border and pattern of the wings is incompletely light blond, merging into grey. This would seem to be pathological if the ‘blond’ is incomplete.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= flavoradiata Metschl.(nom.nud.).Mitt.Munch.Ent.Ges.1922.12.p.6.
= flavoradiata Steiner.Int.Ent.Z.1935.29.p.269.
The black border of the forewings is intersected by yellow veins.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female form. Like flavoradiata but the intersecting veins in the black border of the forewings white, the same tint as the ground colour.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= flavoapicalis Metschl.Mitt.Munch.Ent.Ges.1922.12.p.7.
= griseoapicata Herzig.Int.Ent.Z.1935.29.p.365.
The apical and entire marginal marking of the forewings is not black but black mixed with intermittent yellow dusting. As a result a brownish effect is produced. In the female it is not so pronounced as in the male. Metschl’s flavoapicalis had the apex of the forewings heavily dusted with yellow. Herzig’s griseoapicata had the submarginal part of the black band normal but the marginal part so covered with yellow scales that it appears greenish-grey. The form usually has a squarish look. These forms all have the same character, the black marginal band dusted with yellow scales. The squarish look of griseoapicata makes it possible that it belongs to Colias calida [alfacariensis, Berger’s Clouded Yellow].
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= brevis Crombrugghe.Rev.Mens.Ent.Soc.Nam.1911.p.104.
= simplex Grüber.(nec.Neuburg).Ent.Z.1932.46.p.194.fig.3.
With an apical ‘tip’ to the forewings instead of a complete black band. The black border is thus much abbreviated, the lower part being absent. The form brevis had the black marginal band very short, ceasing before the first median branch. Grüber’s simplex on his coloured plate shows this same character. In his text he calls it simplex Neuburger but this was for hindwings with no band at all. Grüber’s form could be separated from these others since it is for forewings as well as hindwings but the name would be preoccupied by Neuburger.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= simplex Neuburger.Soc.Ent.1905.20.p.42.
= omarginata Röber.Seitz.Macrolep.1907.1.p.65.
= immaculata Derenne.Rev.Mens.Soc.Ent.Nam.1925.25.p.22.
The black marginal markings of the hindwings completely absent.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The black spot markings of the marginal band of the hindwings have almost disappeared. In obsoleta Tutt they are completely absent.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Only the outer series of black spots showing on the margin of the hindwings.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Hindwings with a black marginal band and a series of submarginal spots. Tutt says this is the typical form although Linnaeus does not mention such spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= submarginata Finke.Int.Ent.Z.1934.28.p.394.
The submarginal black band of the hindwings is exceptionally heavy.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The black marginal markings of the forewings are very much reduced, almost absent. On the hindwings there are no black markings at all.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The outer part of the marginal band of the forewings completely absent and there are no black marginal marks on the hindwings.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The outer markings of the black band bordering the forewings are only feebly indicated. The figure shows only blackish wedge-shaped marks at the ends of the veins instead of the complete border. The inner part of the band is present but somewhat narrower than usual. The hindwings show a few traces of the marginal band. The form is transitional to sieversoides Verity.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
At the apex of the forewings the yellow submarginal spots are so enlarged towards the centre of the band that the inner portion of the band has almost completely disappeared. The nervures of the forewings are powdered with black towards the centre.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The yellow apical and marginal spots are all united into a broad, well defined, yellow band, cutting the normal black border into two parts from the costa downwards.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Like flavofasciata with the black border of the forewings cut into two parts by a yellow band but in addition the hindwings show the same character. Thus the yellow band is continuous from the costa of the forewings right down to the anal angle of the hindwings. Also, in addition, the discoidal spot of the forewings is enormously enlarged and elongated, 3mm in height and 1.75mm in width.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
A black bar extends from the discoidal spot as far as the marginal band into which it passes. The marginal band is very strongly developed and extends almost to the centre of the forewings. These appears more striking because the marginal band of the hindwings is completely lacking. On the underside the margin is rayed or streaked, the rays pointing towards the base.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the forewings the black marginal band is extended into two streaks as far as the discoidal spot, other streaks almost reaching it. Hindwings with no black marginal band.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The black interneural spots elongated into long black streaks towards the discoidal spot on both fore and hindwings, upperside and underside.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the forewings a great extension of the dark border into the disc. On the hindwings the border is entirely absent. On the underside there is a suffusion of dark scales over the light areas.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
All the nervures are blackened throughout their whole length.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The black marginal border of the forewings shows only a trace of one single yellow spot, which is situated near the apex and so suffused with dark scales that it is almost imperceptible. Transitional and practically the same as uhli Kovats.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The black marginal border of the forewings is of a profound black and contains no spots.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the forewings the spots in the black marginal band are imperceptible and the discoidal spot is large, the veins dark scaled. On the hindwings the discoidal spot is black.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Hindwings with a broad black marginal band, which extends from the costa right down to the anal angle. This would seem more extreme than ab. schonfeldi Metzner.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The basal areas strongly powdered, this powdering in extreme cases extending in dusky rays, which reach the centre of the wings or beyond.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The upperside of the forewings with a specially large discoidal spot.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= ocellata Dufrane.Bull.Soc.Ent.Belg.1947.83.p.70.
On the forewings the median spot is pupilled on both the upper and underside. The pupil is usually whitish or pale orange.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the forewings the discoidal spot is orange instead of black. On the underside it is black with a yellow centre.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the forewings the discoidal spot is small.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= pallida Tutt.(nom.preoc.Robson&Gardner.1886).Brit.Butts.1896.p.253.
On the hindwings the central (discoidal) spot is almost obsolete. It is not stated whether this applies to upper and underside.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the hindwings the discoidal spot consists of a single orange spot instead of the usual two.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= alba Derenne.(nom.preoc.Ruhl.1892).Lamb.1933.33.p.184.pl.9.f.4.
The discoidal spot of the hindwings is white on both upper and underside.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the hindwings the orange discoidal spot shows a few black scales.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the hindwings the orange spot is divided completely into two separate pupils. These are normally connected.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the hindwings there is a three-fold central spot.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= goriciana Fritsch.Ent.Rundsch.1918.35.p.6.
On the upperside of all wings the discoidal spots are enlarged and elongated to a point on the outer side. Fritsch’s goriciana had a gigantic discoidal spot on the forewings which was elongated on its outer side and a considerably larger discoidal on the hindwings elongated width-wise.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The orange-red surrounds to the orange discoidal spot of the hindwings are entirely absent so that only the light orange centres remain. This is a very feeble aberration. Normally there is a slight splash of orange outside the lighter centre of the spot.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Hindwings with the external border (not band) cut in a straight line from the cell to the anal angle and deprived of black spots. The discoidal spot large and of a deep orange-red. The ground colour citron yellow. It is difficult to know what the first part of this description means, unless it is merely shape.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The hindwings are smaller because the hind margin runs in a straight line to the tornus, which is therefore much sharper. Corresponds exactly with Colias croceus [Clouded Yellow] ab. posticominuta Verity so is probably hereditary.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the upperside of the hindwings the orange spot has neither precise shape nor limits, it escapes in fact from the normal round spot to invade a considerable part of the disc into the colour of which it gradually merges. On the underside the double spot is rose-coloured, sharply rimmed with deep rose and it, too, escapes from its normal limits to diffuse into the ground colour, which is rayed with greyish-brown.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Large specimens around 50mm.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= minor Vorbrodt.Schmett.Schweiz.1911.1.p.30.
= minor Ksienchopolsky.Rhop.Sud-ouost.Russe.1911.p.28.
= minor Mellaerts.Lamb.1926.26.p.84.
Very small specimens, pygmaea being only 30mm in expanse which is smaller than the blue Lycaenid icarus [Common Blue]. These forms vary somewhat but it seems useless to separate them into their particular sizes, all being dwarfs.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Females with the underside of the hindwings bluish-green.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Underside of the hindwings strongly covered with dull green.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
The underside of the hindwings and apex of the forewings entirely greyish-white, very pronounced, instead of the normal mustard-yellow. The greyish-white contrasts slightly with the pure white of the discal area of the forewings. The general result is an almost silver underside.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
Female with the underside of a reddish tint.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
= seriata Rocci.Atti.Soc.Ligust.1920.30.p.30.
On the underside of the forewings the submarginal brown spots are enlarged and more vivid, and there are fawn spots at the end of the nervures.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the forewings the ferruginous macules are completely missing.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of both fore and hindwings the marginal spots are absent.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the forewings in cell 5 a black horizontal line between the discal spot and dark submarginal spot but reaching neither of them.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside the ferruginous spots of both fore and hindwings run into rays, from the submarginal ones, outwards to the border between the nervures, or inwards towards the discoidal spot. Upperside normal. The name covers all forms, which are rayed on the underside only.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the discoidal spot is prolonged in an appendix towards the base.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
On the underside of the hindwings the double silver spot lacks its dark surround with the exception of the thin interior line, i.e. that which immediately encloses the silver.
Natural History Museum
britishbutterflyaberrations.co.uk (all aberrations)
