SWF white aberration

[Phil Bowler]

On 29.7.21 in our Lincolnshire butterfly garden I stumbled across a brief sighting of a very unusual butterfly, which quickly vanished. The Silver-washed Fritillary has been extending its range in Lincolnshire in recent years, and a few have been seen in the wooded parts of our garden since 2018. This mystery butterfly was the right size and flew in the manner of a female SWF, but it was almost white with black markings. It was such a fleeting sighting and I never saw it again, and over the ensuing months have assumed it to be a very pale version of the Valezina female form. I have seen photos of pale Valezinas, either variations or older specimens and it made sense for it to have been one of those. Valezinas have been seen in the county over the last few years.

Looking through my photos collection today, I now have another theory as to its identity! Way back in 1983 I took a photo of a white male SWF in Crab Wood, Hampshire. For whatever reason I had never considered this to be what I saw this year but now am giving it serious thought. However, there does not seem to be any reference to white SWFs in any books I have, nor online. I now wonder whether I saw something extremely special 40 odd years ago! Does anyone have any info or ideas on this totally albino type aberration

?

[bugboy]

The picture looks like ab. cifkai https://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/aberrat ... ies=paphia.

It's not an albino since that trait is a lack of black pigment. An albino SWF would be orange with silver/whitish markings replacing the black which in the case of the SWF has been christened ab. albomaculata.

[Phil Bowler]

Thanks for that, Bugboy. That's the closest description I've come across yet.

[Vince Massimo]

Hi Phil, thanks for posting this image. I will be adding it to the Species Album (duly credited to you).

Vince