David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital Video Images
___________________________________________________________________
Butterflies 102 – Niobe Fritillaries
NIOBE FRITILLARY Fabriciana
niobe f. eris
(m)
NIOBE FRITILLARY Fabriciana
niobe f. eris
(m)
NIOBE FRITILLARY Fabriciana
niobe f. eris
(m)
NIOBE FRITILLARY Fabriciana
niobe f. eris
(m)
NIOBE FRITILLARY Fabriciana
niobe f. eris
(m)
NIOBE FRITILLARY Fabriciana
niobe f. eris
(m)
NIOBE FRITILLARY Fabriciana
niobe f. eris
(m)
NIOBE
FRITILLARY Fabriciana niobe f. eris (m)
- Close
examination of the markings is required when identifying most European
fritillaries, including the Niobe
Fritillary Fabriciana niobe, a butterfly bearing a strong
resemblance to the High Brown Fritillary, F. adippe
(illustrated elsewhere on this web site). Both these large fritillaries
have variable undersides and the form eris
of F. niobe looks like the predominantly
southern European form cleodoxa of
F. adippe. Key differences include more
clearly defined black venation, and the presence (usually) of tiny, but
characteristic black spots on the underside of the hindwings of F. niobe. The black male sex brands are
narrower and less conspicuous in F. niobe than
in F. adippe. This Butterfly
Conservation European Butterflies reference: http://www.european-butterflies.org.uk/downloads/EURO%20FRITS%20GUIDE.pdf offers excellent guidance, and
it should enable most European fritillaries to be identified from clear
photographs – if the appropriate features can be seen. It can be easy to make
mistakes as the markings may be almost identical, albeit variable, between
closely related species, and since he discovered it, the author has been
carefully cross-checking old photographs for misidentifications! There
have been some recent reclassifications in the light of DNA sequence
analysis too. There are many beautifully illustrated reference books
available for students of for butterflies but looking at a high-resolution
PDF enlarged on a computer screen offers distinct advantages when making
any direct comparisons with the details in photographs. The above photographs
of a stunning fresh male Niobe Fritillary feeding on Lavender Lavandula
sp. were taken in the South of France. With thanks to Richard
Lewington for confirming this identification – one that I managed to get
right!
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