French Pyrenees August 17 - 24

[owen figgis]

Here's a few photos I took of butterflies in the Neouvielle and Gavarnie areas. I saw several species of ringlet that I had not seen before, never having been in France in the late summer.

The first two images are I'm pretty sure are Spanish Brassy Ringlets, female and male at around 1500m.

Number 3 - I saw this around 2000m - Not sure, possibly Large Ringlet.

Number 4 - These were quite common in 1500 to 2000m, I think Water Ringlet but possible Piedmont.

Number 5 - I saw odd ones of these, Mountain Ringlet I think.

Number 6 and 7 - Water Ringlet?

Number 8 and 9 - Had hoped for De Prunner's but the extra spot isn't in line. Does this mean that it's a Piedmont?

Number 10 and 11 - No idea. Anyone?

Thanks, Owen.

[David M]

I don't have a huge amount of experience with foreign erebia, sadly, but number 4 looks to me like Bright Eyed Ringlet - oeme, which I know is quite common in that region.

As an aside, how thronged with tourists is the Pyrenees in mid-August? I've always been reluctant to visit France at that time of year in case the countryside is swarming with holidaymakers.

[owen figgis]

I'm certain they are not Bright-eyed. I saw lots of these in the spring and while the uppersides look similar the undersides were quite different. I will try and find an image to compare and post it tomorrow.

It was very busy with mostly French holidaymakers and it was hard to find space to park after late morning. On the way back to the airport at Carcassonne I travelled through a much quieter part of the Pyrenees and on brief stops saw lots of butterflies.

Owen

[David M]

Thanks for the info, Owen.

You may well be right about oeme. As I said, my experience is limited to short periods during which I've travelled to France.

I have no experience whatsoever of the species range in August, though I'd like to change that if I could be assured that I could have a relatively peaceful time unmolested by hordes of holidaying français!!

[owen figgis]

Here are some more images of the same species.

Cheers, Owen

[owen figgis]

Some more Erebia.

The first two images are of Autumn Ringlet I think.

I'm certain this is a Large Ringlet with its chequered fringes.

Common Brassy?

This one is very similar to the Pyrenean form of the Yellow Spotted Ringlet as described in my Collins Guide.

Cheers, Owen

[Padfield]

Hi Owen.

The Spanish brassy ringlets in the Pyrenees are generally regarded as being a different species, the Pyrenees brassy ringlet, Erebia rondoui (and yours are certainly this).

3 is euryale (as you say).

If 4 is indeed the same species you show later, then it is pronoe.

5 is epiphron (again, as you say).

I don't know if it's my browser playing silly buggers, but I can only see one picture for 6 and 7, which is pronoe.

8 and 9 look most like female pronoe. I'm sure it's not meolans (Piedmont) or triaria (de Prunner's).

10 and 11 look like euryale on first inspection.

The ones in your more recent post you suggest as neoridas are female pronoe.

All your final IDs look good.

Guy

[owen figgis]

Many thanks for confirming most of my id's Guy. I would have liked to have seen Gavarnie's and Lefebvre's but perhaps I was just a little too late in the season.

Owen

[Padfield]

Both of those species are rather local - lefebvrei especially, in my experience. I have found gorgone (Gavarnie ringlet) most commonly at the end of July and lefebvrei nearer the beginning. It is possible they are commoner in alternate years. If you go back and want to see things you couldn't find this time, try an odd-numbered year!

Guy

[owen figgis]

Thanks for the tip Guy, I may well try again next year around the middle of July.

Here's a few others I saw on my trip.

Throughout the week I came across a lot of brown arguses but this one at 1400m struck me as being a little different. Unfortunately I only got the one shot but there were prominent discal spots on the upf. Could this be a Spanish argus?

These two at 2000m and 2200m I took to be Shepherds Fritillaries.

There weren't many grizzlies about but this one at 2000m looks very like the Alpine grizzled in Tolman and Lewington.

As on every other trip I have taken in France coppers turn up at some point and there were both scarce and purple edged at this site including this pretty female purple edged.

Owen

[Padfield]

Hi Owen. Your argus looks like artaxerxes to me - I'm sure it's not Spanish argus (morronensis).

Your first shepherd's frit is classic pyrenesmiscens - subspecies or species, depending on which author you follow. The second one probably is too. In the Pyrenees, napaea approaches pales in shape and also has much heavier marks than in the Alps. I can't rule it out for the second one.

Finally, the skipper is not alpine grizzled. I think it is almost certainly olive skipper, serratulae, which does not always have small, point-like spots, as implied in some books.

Guy

[owen figgis]

Hi Guy,

Many thanks for your id's. Do you know of a reference book for skippers as I have loads of images from previous trips which are still unidentified.

Cheers, Owen

[Padfield]

I don't know of a book dedicated to the skippers - a monograph on Pyrgus would be a fantastic thing!

I'm very fortunate to live in an area with a lot of species - totting up on my fingers there are ten Pyrgus skippers I expect to see in Switzerland without any special effort and one or two more I do make an effort for. Initially, I found them bewildering but after a while a feel for them comes and suddenly they don't seem nearly so difficult - in the field at least. I still find photos much harder because so many clues to the jizz are missing. My advice is to carry a net and identify as many as possible in the hand, getting a good look at the upperside and underside. The more confident IDs you have, the more confident you will feel in general - and conversely, the bigger the backlog of uncertain IDs the more you will feel the whole exercise is hopeless!

The Guide to the Butterflies of the Palearctic has just one volume left to publish for the Nymphalinae but hasn't done a single one on the Hesperiidae yet. The quality of the recent instalments has been excellent so when they get round to Pyrgus it should be worth buying the volume, even if you don't get all the rest.

Guy

[Roger Gibbons]

I attempted some sort of analysis of Pyrgus species a few years ago. This was mainly because the "key" feature as stated in books is not always totally reliable (c.f. Guy's comments on your serratulae) and confident ID is based on a combination of factors.

http://www.butterfliesoffrance.com/Pyrg ... cation.htm

I have accumulated additional information and some better photos and will be updating the pages later in the year.

Roger

[owen figgis]

Thanks Guy and Roger. It looks like I'm going to have to try harder and get some good uns shots.

Cheers, Owen