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Blue in Georgia (1 Viewer)

Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening
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Scotland
Can anyone help with this Blue? It was seen at the Chachuna Reserve in SE Georgia (the country, not the US state) on 10th April.
 

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Brown Argus for me (male: abdomen tip shape and short tarsomers of front legs). Distinctive post-discal spots pattern on S6-7 of hindwing (almost vertically aligned) indicate Aricia, and the rest of the underwing pattern seems to fit this species only (or in other words, not good for other potential species there).
 
Brown Argus for me (male: abdomen tip shape and short tarsomers of front legs). Distinctive post-discal spots pattern on S6-7 of hindwing (almost vertically aligned) indicate Aricia, and the rest of the underwing pattern seems to fit this species only (or in other words, not good for other potential species there).

It has one spot too many on the hind wing near the body for BA, four spots in a row and one in front, the front one is not present in BA.

Just been looking at species that do have this extra spot and have found Escher's and Chapman's but no idea if they are in range.
 
It has one spot too many on the hind wing near the body for BA, four spots in a row and one in front, the front one is not present in BA.

Just been looking at species that do have this extra spot and have found Escher's and Chapman's but no idea if they are in range.

If I understand well the spot you're mentioning has no ID value. It can be present or absent. It's a perfect Brown Argus, Andy.
 
If I understand well the spot you're mentioning has no ID value. It can be present or absent. It's a perfect Brown Argus, Andy.

It's not mentioned as such in Collins, I'd expect it to be but I have found a few photos where it's present.
 
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It's not mentioned as such in Collins, I'd expect it to be?

As far as I can see, the only spots that are mentioned in Collins are the post-discal spots (of which the spot in S6 is displaced towards the body, when compared with Polyommatus, creating a so called "figure of 8", which is shared by the Aricia species and only very few other species? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean?
 
Perhaps this will make it easier:
http://www.lepiforum.de/lepiwiki.pl?Aricia_Agestis
the image included at the bottom of the page:
http://www.lepiforum.de/lepidoptere...ipp/thersites_icarus_agestis_Vergleich_US.jpg

Here the post-discal S6 spot is called P3. It is this one which is displaced towards the body, and is mentioned in Collins. Other features on the OP butterfly show this to be a clear Brown Argus as well, including fringes pattern.

You're looking at the wrong end of the wing.....four spots in a line, there is a single spot in front of the bottom spot of the of four in the OP.

In the first link, it is present in the second image, not apparent in any in the 2nd link.
 
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You're looking at the wrong end of the wing.....four spots in a line, there is a single spot in front of the bottom spot of the of four in the OP.

In the first link, it is present in the second image, not apparent in any in the 2nd link.

I see what you mean. That's the spot I said above had no value for ID. It can be present or absent on any Polyommatine butterfly (the subfamily that includes Aricia, Polyommatus, Agriades, etc), it (its presence) varies with the individual not with species. Actually, on Polyommatine butterflies all spots vary in intensity and presence (and shape), what is constant (approximately) is their relative positions. The most well known case is the icarinus aberration of Common Blue, which may cause (and it does) confusion with Chapman's Blue. Less well known is the case of Chapman's Blue having a spot in the cell area, just as Common Blue does. Hope this helps. Cheers.
 
I see what you mean. That's the spot I said above had no value for ID. It can be present or absent on any Polyommatine butterfly (the subfamily that includes Aricia, Polyommatus, Agriades, etc), it (its presence) varies with the individual not with species. Actually, on Polyommatine butterflies all spots vary in intensity and presence (and shape), what is constant (approximately) is their relative positions. The most well known case is the icarinus aberration of Common Blue, which may cause (and it does) confusion with Chapman's Blue. Less well known is the case of Chapman's Blue having a spot in the cell area, just as Common Blue does. Hope this helps. Cheers.

Thanks,
 
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