Is this an aberrant Silver-studded Blue?

[millerd]

Or is it just within normal variability? This female was spotted (sorry about the pun...) at Thursley Common a couple of weeks ago. With all the exciting aberrations appearing in other species, I remembered that this individual shared some of the same characteristics - elongated black markings and spots running into one another. Unfortunately I did not see if the upperside was anything other than the normal brown with orange spots. I also wish I could have seen more of the underside of the forewing, which appears to have long black streaks.

Any ideas?

Dave

[geniculata]

wow!

gary

[Pete Eeles]

Unless you've been playing with Photoshop, this is definitely an ab.!!!

Cheers,

- Pete

[millerd]

Thanks, Pete. My skills with Photoshop are negligible!

Does she have a name?

Dave

[Lee Hurrell]

Hi Dave,

I can't name your ab but if I was asked to I would call it the Silver Studded Black Streak Blue...

Cheers

Lee

[Piers]

Ab. radiata-costajuncta.

Radiata refers to the forewing and hindwing submedian spots 'stretching' towards the base with a streak effect; and costajuncta refers to the twin costal spots of the hindwing being conjoined to form a black sausage shaped mark.

This type of aberration can be bred and inbred again in captivity, selecting the most heavily marked individuals and pairing them up, to produce some really quite extreme looking little chaps.

Felix.

[millerd]

Thanks, Felix.

Looking through my photos from the day, I found another which did not have the streaks or elongated spots, though it still displayed the "sausage", and the markings were generally heavy. As SSB populations tend to be isolated from one another, I imagine this sort of thing will repeatedly pop up in the same locations.

Dave

[Piers]

Hi Dave,

Yes you're right. Certain aberrations (and this applies to many species) will crop up year after year in the same location, often in small and isolated colonies. There is a small SSB colony in Dorset which regularly 'throws out' the aberration you have pictured above (which is costajuncta) year in year out; although you could search thousands of butterflies from a colony just a few miles away and not see one. Similarly some SSB colonies produce males with a very bright sky blue upperside colouration. It all depends upon the genetic make up.

Two great photographs by the way. Could you put them in the species album?

Cheers.

Felix.