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Matt Rowlings

 

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Field Notes

Cluj, Romania, June 2006

Jura, France, July 2006

Jura, France, July 2006

Jura, France, July 2006

Jura, France, July 2006

Ain, France, June 2005

Hautes Alpes, France, August 2005

At high altitude - 2000m.

Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, July 2001

Flying on damp meadowland amongst shrubs

Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, July 2001

SE Czech Republic, July 2001

Flying on an open, dry limestone hillside - note greatly reduced underside spots and more extensive orange around wing margin.

It was only when I put up this web page that I noticed the marked difference in markings between two sites of very different habitat - a possible example of environmental adaptation between the two populations. The first 2 photographs were taken on a wet meadow habitat, the last on top of a dry limestone hill. There appears to be a clearly different set of markings - the dry hillside example has greatly reduced underside eye spots but a much more extensive orange marginal band. I note that the orange marginal band is not shown in the books for this subspecies, but it does appear in the other European subspecies iphioides.

C. glycerion glycerion is found across central Europe from eastern France and eastwards, although I've only ever found a single specimen of it anywhere west of SE Czech Republic. I must not be looking in the right places!

It has a very close relative - C. glycerion iphiodes. This flies across N Spain. It has noticeably larger and more evenly sized eye spots on the underside hindwing, an eyespot near the apex of the underside forewing and is overall a darker insect.

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