Another misnamed butterfly, although there is some justification for the English name, as it is still found around the Lulworth area on the Dorset coast, even though it is widespread across Europe. Acteon is not particularly common in France, and could easily be missed because of its similar appearance to the Small Skipper (T. sylvestris) or the Essex Skipper (T. lineolus), especially the male acteon in which the upf horseshoe-shaped

orange band is not so well marked. This orange band is 100% characteristic

of acteon and more pronounced in the female.

The sexes can be differentiated by the body length, much longer in the male - see above - and the upf sex brand (black streak) which only the male has, as well as the strength of the orange band as noted above. I found, much to my surprise, that 90% of the acteon photos I have taken are of females.

observations

a fresh male, showing how faint the upf orange band is, even when fresh.

a female, the orange band being clearly in evidence.

I originally thought this was a male based on the abdominal hair tuft, even though the upf orange band seemed more pronounced than that shown in T&L for a male. However, the absence of a sex brand and the shorter body length, as well as the strong orange band, clearly indicate female. The apparent hair tuft at the end of the abdomen turns out to be a red herring.