Provence Orange-tip (Anthocharis euphenoides)
2024 photographs highlighted in yellow. Click on any photograph to go to an enlarged picture, or simply scroll down the page.
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| 31869_male_Var_24Apr13 | 24400_male_Var_25Apr11 | 34494_male_Var_19Apr14 | 40371_male_Var_5May16 |
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| 40283_female_Var_24Apr16 | 28768_female_Var_21Apr12 | 0475_female_Var_9May06 | 10118_female_Var_1May08 |
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| 36864_female_Var_15Apr15 | 45888_female_Var_20Apr19 | 14824_male_Var_01May09 | 31829_male_Var_23Apr13 |
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| 9769_pair_Var_13Apr08 |
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Superficially similar in markings to the Orange-tip (A. cardamines), but the male has a delicious pale yellow upperside with orange tips with darker inside edging. The female is white with slight orange colouration across the upf black apical area, although on 0475 and 40283 the orange extends well beyond the apex (more so than on any other female I have seen) to the extent that it almost needs a close look to ascertain that it is not a male cardamines. |
It is essentially an
Iberian species which also occurs in the eastern Pyrénées and
southern France and is single brooded, appearing in May and disappearing by
June. It is widespread and often encountered but not particularly common
in any given location, but the male
can hardly be missed or confused with anything else, and so it tends to get
noticed.
It used to be considered to be a subspecies of the Morocco Orange-tip (A. belia) but is now considered to be a separate species, with belia now relating to the north African race. |
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ref |
sex |
observations |
alt. m |
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31869 |
M |
a male, nectaring on, I believe, the larval hostplant Buckler Mustard (Biscutella laevigata), as is often the case with this species. The thin stem of this plant means that it is often swaying, making photography very difficult. |
220 |
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24400 |
M |
a fresh male, accurately reflecting the creamy yellow ground colour. |
450 |
| 34494 | M | a male, nectaring on Buckler Mustard. | 20 |
| 40371 | M | a male, with rather dusky black markings in the apical region. | 140 |
| 40283 | F | a female, with extensive orange in the apical area. There is some slight damage to the hindwing on the left side. | 185 |
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28768 |
F |
a female, with a rather dark, russet-coloured, apical mark. The pureness of the white stands out in this fresh specimen. |
185 |
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0475 |
F |
a female upperside, with an exceptional amount of orange in the apical area, reaching almost to the discoidal spot. |
185 |
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10118 |
F |
a female, with a lesser amount of apical orange, but probably more typical. The body shape is, I suspect, due to a courtship activity, as the male was just out of shot. |
185 |
| 36864 | F | a female nectaring on Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), a common and much favoured nectar source in Var. | 220 |
| 45888 | F | a female with rather darker apical markings, especially on the inner edge. | 220 |
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14824 |
M |
a male underside, with the unf showing and revealing the orange colouring of the apical area. |
220 |
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31829 |
M |
a male underside, roosting in overcast conditions. |
450 |
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9769 |
PAIR |
a mating pair. I would guess that the male is on the left, based on the relative size, and some subtleties in the markings. |
450 |
