nickgray69
Gatekeeper, Itchen Navigation, Hampshire
The gatekeeper or hedge brown (Pyronia tithonus) is most commonly found in southern and eastern Britain and coastal areas of south and south-east Ireland. It is also found in the Channel Islands, but not in Scotland nor the Isle of Man. Given its preference for warmer weather, the restriction of range expansion can be assumed to be due to climate. Colonies vary in size depending on the available habitat, and can range from a few dozen to several thousand butterflies.
The gatekeeper is orange with two large brown spots on its wings and a brown pattern on the edge of its wings. The eyespots on the fore wings most likely reduce bird attacks, therefore the gatekeeper is often seen resting with its wings open. A large number of aberrant forms are known, such as excessa, where specimens have two to four extra spots on the fore wing upperside. The number of spots on the hind wing underside also varies
The male has a dark patch on the upper side of the fore wing that contains scent-producing scales known as the androconia. This is most likely for courtship purposes.[6] Androconia have evolved through sexual selection for the purpose of releasing pheromones for attracting mates. Little is known about how androconia actually function during courtship, and the chemical composition of the pheromones is unknown.
Females typically have more spots than males. Males have more costally placed eyespots, compared to the females, whose eyespots are more spread over the wing margin
Gatekeeper, Itchen Navigation, Hampshire
The gatekeeper or hedge brown (Pyronia tithonus) is most commonly found in southern and eastern Britain and coastal areas of south and south-east Ireland. It is also found in the Channel Islands, but not in Scotland nor the Isle of Man. Given its preference for warmer weather, the restriction of range expansion can be assumed to be due to climate. Colonies vary in size depending on the available habitat, and can range from a few dozen to several thousand butterflies.
The gatekeeper is orange with two large brown spots on its wings and a brown pattern on the edge of its wings. The eyespots on the fore wings most likely reduce bird attacks, therefore the gatekeeper is often seen resting with its wings open. A large number of aberrant forms are known, such as excessa, where specimens have two to four extra spots on the fore wing upperside. The number of spots on the hind wing underside also varies
The male has a dark patch on the upper side of the fore wing that contains scent-producing scales known as the androconia. This is most likely for courtship purposes.[6] Androconia have evolved through sexual selection for the purpose of releasing pheromones for attracting mates. Little is known about how androconia actually function during courtship, and the chemical composition of the pheromones is unknown.
Females typically have more spots than males. Males have more costally placed eyespots, compared to the females, whose eyespots are more spread over the wing margin