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Coenonympha gardetta

Alpine Heath

Field Notes

Valais, Switzerland, July 2006

Valais, Switzerland, June 2006

Valais, Switzerland, August 2005

Valais, Switzerland, June 2005

Valais, Switzerland, July 2004

Valais, Switzerland, June 2003

E Switzerland, July 2003

Valais, Switzerland, July 2003

Variant. The spots on the underside hindwing are missing.

A similar species to the Darwin's Heath, C. darwiniana. That pecies has orange on the forewing to the outer margin. The current species has a broad band of grey, although this can become narrower as it approaches the anal angle. In contrast to darwiniana the hindwing white band is roughly even in width along its length and is gently but fairly regularly scalloped in gardetta. The spots on the underside hindwing of gardetta are roughly even in size and form a fairly continuous band, particularly in space 5. The spots in spaces 2, 3 and 6 are larger in darwiniana and often absent in space 5 and 1. There is also a step gap between spots in spaces 5 (if present) and 6 in darwiniana.

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