Small Heath (Coenonympha pamphilus)

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2023 photographs highlighted in green. Click on any photograph to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.

10316_male_Var_7May08 27947_male_Var_16Sep11 14640_sex?_Var_15Apr09 15044_sex?_Var_08May09
19473_sex?_Var_06Sep09 3459_sex?_Var_8Aug06 32579_sex?_Var_10Jun13 34986_sex?_Var_27May14
   
48930_sex?_Var_9Sep21 51970_sex?_Var_3Sep23    

Common in the UK, but although widespread it does not seem quite so numerous in France even in the south. There does seem to be a lot of variation, with some (very) vestigial post-discal spots on the unh, as indicated by these examples. I do not recall there being anything like this degree of variation in UK populations.

I also feel that the French specimens are much brighter, especially the orange of the unf, than UK specimens. The southern form lyllus (see 3459) is much lighter and more sandy-coloured, and the discal line seems complete and with strong contrast either side.

ref sex

observations

alt. m
10316 M

a nice bright orange unf when fresh.

230
27947 M a well-marked and fresh male. There are three vestigial unh ocelli comprised only of small white spots with darker surrounds. The hindwing is rather square and slightly scalloped. 20
14640 ?

a fresh specimen, with nice orange unf colouring and five rather vestigial unh ocelli.

185
15044 ?

a beautiful deep orange unf. There are two or three highly vestigial ocelli, almost non-existent.

230
19473 ?

a rather unusual specimen, with a slightly concave forewing margin (compare with the others on this page), a very large unf ocellus, and a series of six quite well-developed unh ocelli. I have never seen any other pamphilus with even remotely similar ocelli; four are in an almost-perfectly straight line and some are clearly ringed; as usual in most Satyridae species, the ocelli in s2, s3 and s6 are the best developed.

780
3459 ?

the unh ground colour is a pale smoky brown, with a strong and irregular discal line, and a strong pale-ringed unf ocellus. This appears to be an excellent match for the form lyllus which, according to T&L, occurs in SW Europe, and is described as light sandy brown unh basal and discal areas, ocelli vestigial. 3459 matches the illustration and description very well, so my feeling is rather that the range of lyllus is wider (i.e. T&L is wrong on this point) rather than that 3459 is not lyllus.

230
32579 ? this is included here because it has an extra small ocellus above the main ocellus, and a smaller blind (i.e. no white centre) ocellus below it. This is rather unusual in my experience, although variations in the ocelli of Satyrid species are not uncommon. 220
34986 ? a rather large pamphilus, roosting for the night. It has particularly well developed ocelli with strong bright white centres. 220
48930 ? not a very good photograph, but included here because of the very dark unf submarginal band, illustrating the variability of this species, much more so that in the UK, in my experience. 220
51970 ? I think this is also of the form lyllus, very sandy-coloured and with a remarkable complete set of unh ocelli with white centres, a specimen unlike any pamphilus I have ever seen. This is not a dull, boring species. 680

 

10316_male?_Var_7May08

 

27947_male_Var_16Sep11

 

14640_sex?_Var_15Apr09

 

15044_sex?_Var_08May09

 

19473_sex?_Var_06Sep09

 

3459_sex?_Var_8Aug06

 

32579_sex?_Var_10Jun13

 

34986_sex?_Var_27May14

 

48930_sex?_Var_9Sep21

 

51970_sex?_Var_3Sep23