7098_male?_Var_17Jun07
4831_female_Var_20Apr07
Geranium Bronze (cacyreus marshalli)
2008 photos highlighted green. Click on any photo to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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7098_male?_Var_17Jun07 |
4831_female_Var_20Apr07 |
This relatively recent accidental import from South Africa (originally on imported pelargoniums, it is believed) is starting to colonise the south coast of France and is now quite common, and spreading its range northwards, either by natural expansion of courtesy of global warming. It seems usually to be seen on pelargoniums and can be seen in good numbers on hanging baskets in towns, although it is quite small and does not move very much, so can easily be missed. The underside also adds to the camouflage. The underside pattern makes photographs appear to be out of focus. The female is larger, but other than that the sexes are almost identical, as the male also has a completely brown upperside. Both of these photos are on cultivated geraniums, to which they often seem glued, staying put for hours on end, on both the leaves and the flowers.
7098: the body looks quite thick, although not obviously pointed, but is probably female on balance. The tails are quite long which might indicate female in some lycaenid species. Other than that, there is almost nothing the differentiate the sexes from the underside alone. Altitude 60m.
4831: a female based on body shape, as both sexes are plain brown and otherwise quite difficult to tell apart. The female is larger and the uph marginal black spot is larger than in the male. Altitude 60m.
