Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Butterfly and Moth Society
| Family: | Riodinidae |
| Subfamily: | Riodininae |
| Genus: | Hamearis |
| Species: | lucina |
| Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Duke of Burgundy is the sole representative of a subfamily known as the "metalmarks", since some of its cousins, particularly those found in south America, have a metallic appearance. A curious characteristic of this subfamily is that the female has 6 fully-functional legs, whereas the male has only 4 - the forelegs being greatly reduced. The Duke of Burgundy was once classified as a fritillary, given the similarity with those fritillary species found in the British Isles. This butterfly is found mainly in central southern England, although scattered colonies are found elsewhere such as in the north of England in Cumbria and Yorkshire. This species is not found in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. Although relatively-large colonies exist, most colonies only contain around a dozen individuals at the peak of the flight season.
| #Individuals | #Tetrads | 2023 | 2024 | Abundance Trend | 2023 | 2024 | Distribution Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 645 | 431 | -33% | 29 | 16 | -44% |
| #Records | #Individuals | Earliest Record | Latest Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Records | 3,873 | 21,368 | 01/04/2019 | 02/10/2011 |
| 2024 | 130 | 431 | 12/4/2024 | 7/6/2024 |
| Location | Date | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest Record | Noar Hill | 12/4/2024 | 1 |
| Latest Record | Martin Down | 7/6/2024 | 1 |
| Highest Count | Butser Hill | 25/5/2024 | 38 |
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: 36
Average #Recorders: 36