Pearl bordered fritillary
The photos below explain how to distinguish the Pearl bordered fritillary from the Small pearl bordered fritillary. Both species are found in the Rannoch area. I have seen a Pearl bordered fritillary at Dùn Coillich and on the hillside north of Dull.
The imago (adult) likes to take nectar from Bugle which is plentiful on Dùn Coillich.
At Dùn Coillich we are grateful to Anthony McCluskey of Butterfly Conservation for identifying the Pearl bordered fritillaries.
Photo - Pearl Bordered Fritillary- Creative Commons - credit Iain Lawrie.
Pearl bordered fritillary underwing. (Photo from Butterfly Conservation)
There are two very similar species of butterfly found on Dùn Coillich - The Pearl bordered fritillary and the Small pearl bordered fritillary. The Pearl bordered fritillary is quite rare and the Small pearl bordered fritillary is relatively common. It is quite hard to tell the difference between the two species. It is the underwing where the distinguishing features are to be found.
To quote Butterfly Conservation -
“The Pearl bordered fritillary can be distinguished from the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary by the two large silver 'pearls' and row of seven outer 'pearls' on the underside hind wing, and also the red (as opposed to black) chevrons around the outer pearls and the small central spot on the hind wing.”
Small pearl bordered fritillary- underwing (Photo from Butterfly Conservation)
Small pearl bordered fritillary
Photo - Creative Commons - credit Charles J Sharp.