ID of butterflies in Switzerland

[gonolek]

Hi,

I visted Switzerland a few years ago (in 2004). I was mainly birding, and not as into butterflies as I now am... I took a few pics at the time, some of which I'm struggling now to identify. Can anyone help?

All pictures were taken in mid-July, the Fritillary (Heath or False Heath? It was very confiding, whatever it was, landing on my hand!) was taken near Trient (west of Martigny) in Valais, below the Col de Balme (don't know the exact altitude, but quite high!). The ringlet (which looks like a Scotch Argus to me, but is a bit worn) was taken on top of Rochers de Naye, above Montreux, at around 1900m. The other two were taken in a nice flowery meadow above the village of Ste-Croix in the Jura, west of Yverdon-les-Bains and north of Lausanne, at about 1200m altitude. I'm confident that the first is a Turqoise Blue (but am ready to be proved wrong), but don't know what the other blue is at all (unfortunatley I have no underside shots of it) - is it just a Common Blue? I've never seen such extensive orange markings on the forewing like this before - just an aberration? Chestnut Heath and Niobe Fritillary were also photo'd here, but I've been able to ID these on my own!












Any comments would be gratefully received, and I am happy to be corrected if any of my tentative ID's are incorrect.

Thanks!

[Padfield]

Hi!

The first is a heath fritillary - a male. In Switzerland false heath has considerable dark suffusion, especially on the hindwings. We don't get forms like vernetensis in Spain, to the best of my knowledge.

I agree with the turquoise blue.

The ringlet is bright-eyed, which flies above Montreux - I have seen this species near Mountain House (the 'Moral Rearmament' centre at Caux, which I am not a member of!).

Finally, the female blue looks most like a Plebejus species, and probably argus - the silver-studded blue. The orange arches on the hindwing are characteristic of the genus. Idas usually has more blue in the female, but it can be completely brown like this, so I can't rule it out.

Come back sometime - you won't be disappointed!

Guy

[Padfield]

I think I might have been too hasty. The way the ocelli are positioned on the hindwing of the Erebia butterfly (right at the outer extreme of the orange), and the shape of the orange patches, worried me, as I have never seen this in bright-eyed. The apparently pale antennae were surprising too. I now think this is a male Piedmont ringlet (a species I personally have never seen in Switzerland). It is a pity we cannot see the undersides! Do you remember anything about them?

Any other opinions would be welcome. Piedmont is much more local in Switzerland but there is a big blob on the map at Montreux... For the time being, and without the confidence of an underside view, that would be my choice.

Here is a Piedmont male ringlet I photographed in Spain. Look at the way the ocelli push almost out of the orange patches on the hindwing:



Guy

[Padfield]

Me again!

By yet another weird coincidence, I just happened to find a Piedmont ringlet in Switzerland today. I was able to examine both surfaces closely, as I caught it, then released it. I think you will agree this Swiss one matches yours even better than the Spanish one:





Guy

[gonolek]

Guy,

Many thanks for this, I will accept all your ID's! I'm glad I got Turquiose Blue right at least...

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the underside of the ringlet, but agree it looks very similar to your Piedmont (which I think I've seen when I was about 15 on top of Fuente De in the Picos de Europa in Spain, or so my notebook claims, another place to go back to!). Glad you've now got this on your Swiss list too!

My girlfriend's aunt lives in Lausanne, so I hope to take full advantage of this and revisit in the not to distant future... can you recommend any particularly good locations for butterflying within striking distance of there?

Thanks again for your help,
Nick

[Padfield]

I don't think I ever replied privately or publicly to your question about sites near Lausanne. Sorry!

Everything depends on the time of year you come, so it's best to contact one of us Swiss butterfly-watchers nearer the date, when you know when you're coming. I live in Barboleuse (Google Earth it to find out where that is) and know my own mountain and the Rhône Valley (East of Martigny, mostly) well. For sites north and west of me, I would suggest contacting Matt Rowlings, who lives in Vevey (eurobutterflies.com). HOWEVER, like me, he is very wary of simply giving out site locations. We both prefer to meet people and show them places rather than publish sites.

Hope you make it out next year,

Guy