Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Subfamily: | Nymphalinae |
| Genus: | Melitaea |
| Species: | cinxia |
| Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Glanville Fritillary is named after Lady Eleanor Glanville, a 17th century Lepidopterist who discovered this species in Lincolnshire. After her death, one of her sons contested her will on the grounds of lunacy, as eloquently described by Moses Harris in "The Aurelian" in 1766: "This Fly took its Name from the ingenious Lady Glanvil, whose Memory had like to have suffered for her Curiosity. Some Relations that was disappointed by her Will, attempted to let it aside by Acts of Lunacy, for they suggested that none but those who were deprived of their Senses, would go in Pursuit of Butterflies". This butterfly was formerly found in many colonies in south-east England as far north as Lincolnshire, although it is at the northern limit of its range in the British Isles. Today it is found mainly on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, with the occasional colony, typically short-lived, appearing on the South Hampshire coast. There is also an unauthorised introduction in North Somerset. This butterfly is also found on Guernsey and Alderney in the Channel Islands. This butterfly forms discrete colonies with little interchange between them. However, the odd stray will turn up several miles from any known colony.
| #Individuals | #Tetrads | 2022 | 2023 | Abundance Trend | 2022 | 2023 | Distribution Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 638 | 724 | +13% | 26 | 18 | -30% |
| #Records | #Individuals | Earliest Record | Latest Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Records | 2,377 | 28,561 | 08/04/2007 | 09/07/2010 |
| 2023 | 126 | 724 | 16/5/2023 | 29/6/2023 |
| Location | Date | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest Record | Wheelers Bay | 16/5/2023 | 4 |
| Latest Record | Mottistone Down transect: Section 5 | 29/6/2023 | 4 |
| Highest Count | Compton Farm | 9/6/2023 | 52 |
One of the issues with 'raw' trend data is that there is inherent bias based on the number of recorders. For example, the number of individuals and populated tetrads recorded are likely to increase if there is an increase in the number of recorders. In order to remove this bias, the normalised trends use data that has been recalculated using the average number of recorders over the trend period. This normalisation gives a much better picture of the true trends.
Average #Recorders: 23.08
Average #Recorders: 23.08