Alpine Blue (albulina orbitulus)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
|
|
|
|
| 8321_male_Valais, Switzerland_22Jul07 | 8402_female_Valais, Switzerland_22Jul07 | 13379_female_Valais, Switzerland_20Jul08 |
|
|
||
| 13370_female_Valais, Switzerland_20Jul08 |
A very high altitude species that I have never seen in France, and only saw for the first time in 2007 at one location at high altitude in Switzerland. The male is a gleaming blue with marked black borders on both wings (although somewhat wider on 8321 than is shown in T&L), although the key to this species is the unh round white marks without any black spots inside (clearly illustrated in 13370), making this species quite unmistakeable.
8321: this male clearly shows the glimmering deep blue, especially toward the hindwing margins. The strong black borders of even width and the clear white fringes make it relatively easy to identify. Altitude 2200m.
8402: this female shows the plain brown upperside, becoming quite black-brown near the margins, especially on the hindwing. Altitude 2200m.
13379: a female, plain dark brown but with a spattering of blue scales in the basal area of the forewing, and, strangely, around the cell spot. Is this normal? Altitude 2200m.
13370: a female, the underside of 8402. the characteristic unh "empty" markings are clearly shown. The male underside is very similar. Altitude 2200m.
8321_male_Valais, Switzerland_22Jul07
8402_female_Valais, Switzerland_22Jul07
13379_female_Valais, Switzerland_20Jul08
13370_female_Valais, Switzerland_20Jul08
