Great Sooty Satyr (Satyrus ferula)
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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| 16926_male_Var_30Jun09 | 17009_female_Var_30Jun09 | 13005_male_Valais, Switzerland_15Jul08 |
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| 13007_male_Valais, Switzerland_15Jul08 | 2256_male_Alpes-de-Haute-Provence_1Jul06 | 16930_male_Var_30Jun09 |
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| 2733_female_Italy_16Jul06 | 2426_female_Var_7Jul06 | 2728_female_Italy_16Jul06 |
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Ferula appears to be widespread and quite common in its localities, which are usually at medium altitudes of around 1000m. It is very similar to the Black Satyr (S. actaea) and the differences are addressed on the actaea page. The ferula upperside could be confused with the Dryad (Minois dryas) but the centres of the ocelli on the dryas upf are blue (especially in the female) and ferula white. |
There is a huge degree of variation, especially in the female ferula, in both the colouring and the markings, as can be seen from these shots. The female also seems to outnumber the males by around 2:1 whereas in most species it appears to be the other way round, mainly because the males are more active. Ferula can often, unusually for Satyrids, be seen with its wings open basking in the sun, again usually the female which holds its wings almost flat. |
| ref | sex |
observations |
alt. m |
| 16926 | M |
a beautifully fresh male. Sooty indeed! The body shape looks decidedly female, though, but it cannot not be a male (could it?). |
920 |
| 17009 | F |
a beautifully fresh female, getting the best of the sun's rays on a rather overcast day. |
920 |
| 13005 | M |
a male, rather dark and with very little contrast across the discal line. |
1700 |
| 13007 | M |
a lighter male, but not quite light enough to suggest female. |
1700 |
| 2256 | M |
a typical male underside, with a quite well-defined white post-discal band. |
950 |
| 16930 | M |
a male, no real doubts given the rounded nature of the discal line. |
920 |
| 2733 | F |
a grey-brown female underside, a strong discal line and good contrast across it. |
990 |
| 2426 | F |
a very pale grey female underside, a strong discal line and clear contrast across it, and strong black unh ocelli at s1 and s2. |
780 |
| 2728 | F |
a quite brown female underside, a strong discal line but limited contrast across it. |
990 |
13005_male_Valais, Switzerland_15Jul08
13007_male_Valais, Switzerland_15Jul08
2256_male_Alpes-de-Haute-Provence_1Jul06
