www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Just back from the Granada/ Seville area with a few snatched photos I would like confirmation of ID if anyone would help please..... first two are of a "Common Blue" which I would love to ID as celina and a "Heath Fritillary" I would like to label celadussa. Both were taken near south of these two cities, actually in the foothills of Sierra Nevada... Grateful for any comments, and a couple more to come.

Hi Paul. For the blue, I think celina is likely but wouldn't like to say for certain. The slightly obscure marginal line on the forewing (rather than neatly linear) and the hint of spotting on the hindwing are much like some spring brood celina I've seen. The summer brood is more distinct, in my experience. The fritillary is either nevadensis (which, as the name suggests, flies in the Sierra Nevada) or deione. To be honest, my money would be on deione, though as you know I'm only really familiar with the Swiss subspecies of this butterfly, which is quite different. You haven't got any uppersides have you?

Guy

Thanks Guy, I'm sure dione is correct, given the orange under the antennae tips. No upperside photos I'm afraid. I think I will give myself celina until the day I can see a better example I have a few Pseudophilotes images to ascertain, but with the help of your website with your up to date ID hints and pics of abencerragus, I suspect these first ones are of panoptes - one upperside goes with the underside shot but I can't remember which!! .... err... on the other hand the backdrops do give a hint

Judging by the substrate, 1 and 3 are the same insect

Thanks, my edit crossed your astute judgement... thanks ++ (and I swapped them around since your advice )

With respect to the above, I think these, at another site altogether, might be abencerragus, they were tiny - and very active... no underside shots unfortunately...

Just giving this a nudge, hoping Guy will look at it again wrt Batons

Hi Paul. I would say the first and third of that last set are definitely abencerragus. The middle one I'm not so sure about. It looks like female panoptes, but without seeing an underside I wouldn't like to say. If it was with abencerragus and looked tiny in the field it could well be abencerragus too - I don't have enough experience to know if the pale outlining of the discal spot is open to variation.

There's a nice guide to distinguishing these species here: https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r4t_asTFBh4/ ... ES_v.2.png (linked from here: http://mariposasyorugas.blogspot.com/).

Guy

Thanks Guy, that link is great. It was with the other abencerragus and of the same size. But quite honestly they could have been flying together. The panoptes were in a completely different place, at lower altitude.
I am really disappointed at my personal Andolucian tally from the week 19-26/5... I suspect I just hit between spring and summer broods for most of the 18 or so personal new species I had hopes for. I did see a nostradamus on the road from Seville to Cordoba, and my second only simplonia's but they were worn.
What about sertorius in the Sierra Nevada... I don't suppose I can separate rosae One more Pyrgus to come, but I think it is onopordi

Hi Paul. In the Sierra Nevada, sertorius is said to be present up to 1900m and generally absent higher up. Rosae is present higher up, though not exclusively (Hernández-Roldán et al 2018: https://nl.pensoft.net/article/13539/). If you were below 1900m I don't think you'll ever know ...

Meeting Nostradamus on the road to Córdoba has Biblical resonances! Pity the old man didn't give you any revelations ... But great pictures of the butterfly.

Guy