Marbled Skipper (Carcharodus lavatherae)
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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| 5331_male_Var_14May07 | 10510_male_Var_14May08 | 18427_male_Isère_13Jul09 |
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| 24838_male_Var_17May11 | 24886_male_Var_17May11 | 5868_female_Var_27May07 |
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| 25124_male_Var_24May11 |
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Lavatherae is quite light with extensive white marks on the uph, especially in the discal series, but also a series of slightly sagittate white submarginal marks. Lavatherae appears very light, almost white, in flight, in part due to the very pale and unmarked underside, a clear ID indicator of lavatherae. |
Lavatherae is almost unmistakable from the upperside, but the definitive upf identifier is the two small semi-transparent patches in the post-discal region. I have found lavatherae to be widespread but not particularly common in Var and beyond in Provence, often encountered but nearly always in ones and twos. |
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ref |
sex |
observations |
alt. m |
|
5331 |
M |
showing the extensive white uph markings. |
185 |
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10510 |
M |
quite pale forewings. |
185 |
|
18427 |
M |
not quite as crisply marked as 5331 which may be due to wear. |
1120 |
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24838 |
M |
a male in a typical territorial pose, ready to see off intruders. This behaviour is typical of lavatherae males. |
20 |
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24886 |
M |
the abdominal hair tuft is not as pronounced as other males, leading me to wonder if it might be a female. |
20 |
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5868 |
F |
slightly paler and less strongly marked in the uph marginal region. |
780 |
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25124 |
M |
a less common pose, with wings closed. This illustrates why lavatherae appears almost white in flight. It is a species that is easier to identify in the field. |
185 |
