Map (Araschnia levana)
2011 photos highlighted in green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 16182_female_Rhône_14Jun09 - prorsa | 13447_female_Côte-d'Or_22Jul08 - prorsa | 18899_male?_Aisne_21Jul09 - prorsa |
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| 12936_male_Ain_14Jul08 - prorsa | 0120_female_Rhône_30Apr06 - levana | 0121_female_Rhône_30Apr06 - levana |
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Unusual (and probably unique) in that the two broods of levana are completely different. 0120 is the first brood spring form and was the only spring specimen I had seen since 1999, mainly because my visits to France were usually in July. The second brood summer form, referred to as A. levana form prorsa, looks like a smaller version of a White Admiral (Limenitis camilla), as shown by 16182. The undersides are different, but not to the same extent as the uppersides, as shown by 0121 and 18899. |
The butterfly gets its name from the underside, which was thought to be like a map. In fact, the French name is La Carte. It must have been quite amazing to the early entomologists to discover that the "two" species were in fact one and the same! It is widespread across France, reasonably common in the north and in the Pyrénées, but unusually it does not occur in the south-east corner of France, which also appears to be the case for camilla and the Purple Emperor (Apatura iris). I guess this area cannot complain too much, especially as there are some 190 species that occur in either Var or the Alpes-Maritimes. |
| ref | sex |
observations |
alt. m |
| 16182 | F |
I originally believed this to be a male, mainly based on its rather territorial pose, sitting on the edge of a plant and ready to see off any intruders. The body shape and pointed end of the abdomen suggested female and the strong red uph lines match the illustration of the female in T&L quite closely, so I have concluded it is more likely to be a female. It is clearly a second generation, prorsa. |
180 |
| 13447 | F |
a rather battered female of the summer form prorsa. The body shape is rather fatter than 16182, but does this mean that 16182 is a male? |
320 |
| 18899 | M? |
clearly a second generation prorsa, and probably a male. |
80 |
| 12936 | M |
another prorsa underside, the odd pose explained by the fact that it had been seized by a crab spider. This is clearer in the enlarged version below. |
235 |
| 0120 | F |
a female, based on body shape, of the first brood. |
235 |
| 0121 | F |
the underside of 0120. |
235 |
16182_female_Rhône_14Jun09 - prorsa
13447_female_Côte-d'Or_22Jul08 - prorsa
18899_male?_Aisne_21Jul09 - prorsa
12936_male_Ain_14Jul08 - prorsa
0120_female_Rhône_30Apr06 - levana
0121_female_Rhône_30Apr06 - levana
