Marbled Fritillary (brenthis daphne) and Lesser Marbled Fritillary (brenthis ino)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 12761_male_Isere_11Jul08 - daphne | 11227_male_Rhone_15Jun08 - daphne | 12759_male_Isere_11Jul08 - daphne |
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| 11244_female_Rhone_15Jun08 - daphne | 11259_female_Rhone_15Jun08 - daphne | 12312_male_Hautes Alpes_9Jul08 - ino |
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| 8274_female_Vaud, Switzerland_20Jul07 - ino | 8278_female_Vaud, Switzerland_20Jul07 - ino |
Daphne is quite common and widespread but ino seems to be less common and more generally found at altitude. They are not too difficult to tell apart (the real problem is distinguishing between ino and the Twin-spot Fritillary (B. hecate) - see the hecate page for suggested ID clues) as the ino upperside has heavier black continuous borders, whereas daphne is lighter and not quite continuous. Daphne also seems to me to be a much brighter orange, and is larger than ino, especially female daphne. Daphne is a mid-size fritillary, being about halfway between mellicta/melitaea species and the argynnis species, and can almost be identified in flight by its size and bright colouring.
Although the undersides are very similar, the markings of ino being generally lighter, there is a very convenient identifier: the creamy space in s4 in the discal band nearest the margin (see below) – in daphne it is half-obscured by reddish-brown, while in ino is clear pale yellow (maybe with just a few purple scales). This seems to be constant.
12761: a male daphne, puddling. Altitude 1120m.
11227: a male daphne, quite small and dark. Altitude 165m.
12759: a male daphne, the underside of 12761. Altitude 1120m.
11244: a large and very orange female daphne. Altitude 165m.
11259: a female daphne, the underside of 11244. The enlarged version shows some strange attachments to the coiled proboscis, presumably preventing it from being fully retracted. Expert opinion suggest that this is from flowers of the milkweed family on which 11259 had been nectaring, the lobes attaching themselves as a means of dispersal. Altitude 165m.
12312: a male ino, the continuous black border being unmistakeable. Altitude 1750m.
8274: a female ino, quite pale and lightly marked and the continuous borders being only two thin unfilled black lines. Altitude 1440m.
8278: a female ino, the underside of 8274. Altitude 1440m.
12312_male_Hautes Alpes_9Jul08
8274_female_Vaud, Switzerland_20Jul07 - ino
8278_female_Vaud, Switzerland_20Jul07 - ino
