Green Hairstreak ?ab

[Paul]

This was on my local moorland site today... initially I thought battered/ damaged... but I think the extra spots are scaled accordingly... anyone seen one like it. ??




hmmm.... not so sure now

[Padfield]

I never have, Paul.

Guy

[Pete Eeles]

Neither have I and could be a new ab. since I can't find this in any references I have. The closest is ab. bipunctanta (Tutt) - "Two white spots on the underside of the hindwings, one at the costa, the other towards the centre" ... although yours has the row of white spots too!

Cheers,

- Pete

[Piers]

Neither have I and could be a new ab.

Or a scale defect.

[Paul]

Yeah. I suppose scale defect most likely... that's why I was having second thoughts.... interesting tho' ent it

[Padfield]

You didn't see the other side, did you?

Guy

[Paul]

you KNOW I didn't, don't you...

.. and the reason I posted it was 'cos I thought the blown up pic seemed to show scales

[Piers]

I thought the blown up pic seemed to show scales

As indeed it does...

[Paul]

so the next question is... does that matter , or are the scales defective... sorry genuine ignorance here of what scale defect constitutes. I may soon appear to be a pedant

[Piers]

Soon??!

Scales can be 'defective' if, for some unknown reason, the processes by which the scales form and/or become pigmented are disrupted, disturbed, interrupted or corrupted. This could (for example) be due to physical damage to the larva or pupa, or a pathological condition from which the insect emerges alive, if not unscathed. Such defects can be symmetrical depending upon the nature of the cause.

Felix.

Scales can be 'defective' if, for some unknown reason, the processes through which the scales form and/or become pigmented are disrupted, disturbed, interrupted or corrupted.

Then why do you not refer to [southwater woods]environmentally induced aberrations[/southwater woods] as 'scale defects'? is it just your frantic semantics?

Well, jolly good question Felix, however these aberrations almost always involve a predictable reduction, expansion or otherwise mutation of existing markings, rather than new apparently random markings appearing like so much rubeola on the insects wings.

Felix.

[Paul]

Yep, I see