La Douce France - June 2016 - part III

This part is all about Corsican endemics. I was on Corsica once before second half of July to see the endemic birds, my interest in butterflies however was then still limited to Belgian butterflies. I had however seen some of the endemic butterflies; Hipparchia neomiris, Hipparchia aristaeus and Coenonympha corinna.
So lots of endemics were still left for me!
An overview of endemic species on Corsica & Sardinia:

Endemic species	Corsica	Sardinia	Elba
Papilio hospiton	x	x
Euchloe insularis	x	x
Pseudophilotes barbagiae		x
Plebejus argus corsicus	x
Plebejus bellieri	x	x
Plebejus bellieri villai			x
Polyommatus (coridon) nufrellensis	x
Polyommatus (coridon) gennargenti		x
Aglais (urticae) ichnusa	x	x
Argynnis elisa	x	x
Hipparchia aristaeus	x	x	x
Hipparchia neomiris	x	x	x
Maniola nurag		x
Coenonympha corinna	x	x
Coenonympha (corinna) elbana			x
Lasiommata paramegera	x	x
Spialia therapne	x	x

As being there still at the end of June for some species I was fairly late (Euchloe insularis for example, I saw one probable flying but could not get a closer look...) or I was too early (Polyommatus (coridon) nufrellensis only starts flying from second decade of July; Hipparchia neomiris I missed on this trip although some were already flying around during my stay, when you visit Corsica later in July this species is difficult to miss). About all other species flying on Corsica I could get a glimpse off.

Papilio hospiton

Late june is still a good period to see this species when you visit the higher stations. I saw the species at Haut Asco (1-3 individuals) and at Col de Sorba (10-15 individuals). I kept an eye open to see if I could find individuals with intermediate characters with Papilio machaon as hybridisation often occurs but I only saw specimens that phenotypically were typical P. hospiton. This species is most easily found by its hilltopping behaviour where males hold territorium on high points in the landscape, so just get to a high mountain top (for example east of Col de Sorba) and you shouldn't miss it.

 

Papilio hospiton

Plebejus (argus) corsicus

According to genetic research this taxon is now mostly considered as a subspecies of Plebejus argus although they look very specific with the black spots on underside of the wings with a greyish hue. I saw this species at Haut-Asco in great number

Plebejus (argus) corsicus, copula, female on the left

Plebejus (argus) corsicus, 2 males

Plebejus (argus) corsicus, male

Plebejus bellieri

This species was long considered as a subspecies of Plebejus idas but nowadays is mostly considered as a species on its own. I saw them in good numbers (less common than Plebejus (argus) corsicus) at Haut-Asco. For both species flight period had just begun at this height, almost all of the specimens I saw were fresh. Easily recognised by the black dots at the hindwing margin.

 

Plebejus bellieri, male upper and underside

Underside picture on the presumed larval foodplant Genista species

Aglais (urticae) ichnusa

Although still recognised as a species on fauna europaea recent genetic research indicates that it should probably be regarded as a subspecies of Aglais urticae. Second half of June is a good period to find this sometimes elusive taxon. It is the period when the flight period of the offspring of the wintering generation starts. Species of the genera Aglais, Vanessa and Nymphalis are well known to swarm out directly after emergence. A good tactic to find Aglais (urticae) ichnusa is to post at high location above tree line and wandering specimens will use these locations to get a rest before moving further on. I saw the taxon at Haut-Asco and at Col de Sorba.

Aglais (urticae) ichnusa

Argynnis elisa

This species is most related to Argynnis aglaja. It starts its flight period end of June so I was lucky to find some specimens at Haut-Asco.

Argynnis elisa

Hipparchia aristaeus

One of the several cryptic Hipparchia species in the Mediterranean area, no look-a-likes are present on the island. North of Corte the species was already on the wing in small numbers.

Hipparchia aristaeus

Coenonympha corinna

A fairly common species at lots of natural locations, less in cultivated areas.

Coenonympha corinna, showing some variation in spots on underside hindwing

Lasiommata paramegera

Although very common a difficult species to get on picture as they are very active. It is unclear to me what the status is of the Balearic Lasiommata species, in some literature it is stated that Lasiommata paramegera is present on the Balearics as well, other literature place the brightly patterned Balearic butterflies in Lasiommata megaera. If someone can inform me with the present status of the Balearic Lasiommata butterflies I would be very interested.

Lasiommata paramegera, female

Lasiommata paramegera, male

Lasiommata paramegera, underside

Spialia therapne

I was a bit afraid to be in between generations for this species, fortunately I found the species at 2 locations, for the second location I was tipped and I could get nice pics on that location.

Spialia therapne

La Douce France - June 2016 - part II

In the south of France I visited several locations in 2 separate regions. First I watched butterflies for 2 days on the edge of the Drôme and the Vaucluse in calcareous mountaineous areas (550-1500m). Then I moved on to the south to lower areas on the edge of the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Var (400-700m).

During my whole trip I controlled Melitaea species from the athalia-group on male genitalia according the method explained in the Lafranchis-guide, all males depicted on picture here are controlled with a 20X loupe. In the Drôme-Vaucluse area I was happy to find 3 different species.

Melitaea (athalia) nevadensis (=celadussa), male

According to the recent work on the genus Melitaea by Coutsis & Van Oorschot the southern morph of Melitaea athalia should be regarded as a separate species and the valid name should be nevadensis instead of the often used celadussa. This was definitely the most common Melitaea to find, nevadensis in the south and athalia s.s. in the north (see part I).

Melitaea deione, male

In an abandoned S-faced quarry I found a small population of M. deione.

In a more humid valley I found several Melitaea parthenoides. Two males in upper pic, a female in the lower pic.

The more easy to recognize Melitaea didyma was present at lots of locations as well.

Two males Melitaea didyma

Another nice Fritillary species to see was Euphydryas aurinia of the Provencal subspecies provincialis. A few late ones at approx 1000m. A nice overview of the several French subspecies of Euphydryas aurinia can be found on the website of Lafranchis as a sample page of Lafranchis' recent ecological guide here.

I can only advise any one withe a good interest in ecology of European butterflies to buy this guide, although it is a bit pricey, I believe it is worth the price. It is a very descent work with lots of nice photographs and good information on ecology of all French butterfly species. If someone would doubt between the new fieldguide and the more expensive ecological guide I would certainly advise to buy the ecological guide.

Euphydryas aurinia provincialis

A nice species to find were some late specimens of Melanargia occitanica, a species I hadn't seen before

Melanargia occitanica

By controlling Brassicaceae on a regular base I found several caterpillars of Euchloe crameri, one of the southern spring whites

Euchloe crameri

I was surprised to find some colonies of Polyommatus hispanus still thriving after half of June, I would have expected to be in between spring and summer generation but at one location I found a population of several hundred of individuals from clearly abraded to nearly fresh. I would not be surprised if the latest individuals of spring generation would be still on the wing when summer generation starts to emerge...

Polyommatus hispanus, 3 males & 1 female

At the same location I saw some individuals of one of the nicest Heath species Coenonympha dorus

Coenonympha dorus

In the Bouches-du-Rhône/Var area my main target was to see Laeosopis roboris. The main flight period of this butterfly is a bit earlier than the periods when I have visited its distribution so this time I wanted to search for it specifically. And with success, I saw the species at 3 locations.

Laeosopis roboris

Another nice species to see in France was Brenthis hecate, a species with a limited distribution in France:

Brenthis hecate

In the previous part you could read about Hipparchia (hermione) genava, this is however a male of the related and very similar species Hipparchia fagi:

Hipparchia fagi

One of the least expected species of the trip was Polyommatus dolus. I had seen this species in the same region in august and flight period is mostly described as starting half of July. So a nice surprise to find a freshly emerged female just past half of June. A nice white fringe to upperside of both front and hind wing and a very vague pale central stripe are the features to tell this one apart from Polyommatus ripartii.

Polyommatus dolus, female

More on Corsican endemics in the next episode

La Douce France - June 2016 - part I

In the second half of June I went for a 2 week trip to France covering a large part of the east of the country. I started with a small stop just within Belgian borders in the very south of Belgium with a stop at a location with Melitaea cinxia. Although some were already abraded I was surprised to still find some fresh specimens.

Melitaea cinxia

From there I could really start my french trip and went consecutively on to the south of the Lorraine, a short stop in Bourgogne (short because of the rain...), to the north of the Alps, to the Vaucluse, the south of the Provence, to Corsica, from there back to the Alps to end up in the south of the Lorraine again.

In this first part some notes on the Lorraine and then especially on some species that have their north-westernmost stations in their distribution. In the very south of the Meuse valley their are some calcareous hillsides holding some nice species that have distribution that doesn't reach Belgium or are only known from some old records.

Melitaea phoebe for example is only known from old records and Plebejus argyrognomon is extinct since at least some 15 years.

Melitaea phoebe

Plebejus argyrognomon, female

Satyrium acaciae has recently been rediscovered in Belgium but still only known from one station and even there still very rare.

Zygaena loti is a species with only a handful of recent sightings in Belgium

The real specialties of the region are however 2 other species. 

The first one is Hipparchia hermione genava. This taxon has its northernmost stations in the south of the Lorraine and can be found at these locations in large numbers from half of June onward. The taxonomic relationships to other subspecies of Hipparchia hermione are still unclear. It is somewhat in between Hipparchia hermione and the related Hipparchia fagi, as wel in the number of bajonets on the Julien organ (part of male genitalia), in size, as in the presence of white spots in the dark marginal border. Some consider this taxon as a species on its own, according to fauna europaea it is still a subspesies of Hipparchia hermione.

Typically sitting on the path.

The other specialty is Pieris mannii. This species is expanding its range northward at fast speed from the Alps through the Rhine valley. On these locations in the Meuse valley the species was only recently discovered but most probably however these populations are not new ones from the expanding south Alpine subspecies alpigena but are overlooked populations from the western subspecies andegava. This subspecies is a bit smaller with a bit less expressed dark markings (so a bit less different from Pieris rapae). It was described from western France and had a known distribution from south of Paris to the Atlantic coast. It was long considered extinct because of agricultural intensification, as a species of extensive agricultural zones on calcareous ground, but was recently rediscovered at one of the former stations south of Paris. And so also discovered in the Meuse valley where it was not yet known. 

female, very rounded wings with a rectangular discal spot and extensive apical spot

male, the discal spot is a bit smaller but hollowed out at the outer side

caterpillar on Iberis (linefolia) violletii, in young larval stages the caterpillars of Pieris mannii have a dark head shield whereas in Pieris rapae the head shield is greenish in all larval stages

egg on Iberis (linefolia) violletii 

Underside

In the next episode some butterflies from southern regions of France...