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Mountain Fritillary
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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Valais,
Switzerland, July 2006 |
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E Switzerland,
July 2003
Female showing
violet sheen |
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Provence,
France, July 2003
Markings
rather well defined |
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Provence,
France, July 2003
Female |
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Provence,
France, July 2003
Female with
Large Ringlet, Erebia euryale. |
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This is one of two species I find very difficult
to separate - the other one is the Shepherd's Fritillary, C. pales.
There are another 2 very similar species (Balkan and Cranberry
Fritillaries, B. graeca and B. aquilonaris) that further
confuse the situation but these are both relatively uncommon where they
overlap and can be readily separated. See the table for B.
graeca for more information on all 4 species. Certain females
of napaea are instantly recognisable by the violet mauve sheen
that covers the uppersides. Specimens without this sheen need closer
inspection for proper identification. To separate napaea and pales
it is first necessary to note where they were found. Their ranges only
overlap in the eastern Pyrenees and the Alps. In
the Pyrenees:
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Feature |
napaea |
pales |
| Underside forewing black markings |
shadows only |
clearly marked black |
In the Alps:
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Feature |
napaea |
pales |
comment |
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Two rows of submarginal spots |
roughly parallel |
start converging from space 4 |
To me it seems the spot of the inner row in
space 4 is displaced outwards making it look like the rows start
converging. |
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Upper forewing black discal markings |
fine |
thick |
This feature is variable and I'm not always
convinced it holds true |
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Underside "feel" |
yellow, better defined |
reddish, markings blended or smudged
together. |
Subjective test but may help when other
features considered |
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