Variation in spotting among the close relatives of the butterfly, Maniola jurtina

A study of spotting in seven related butterfly species in the genera Maniola and Pyronia has been initiated, in the hope of complementing previous work on Maniola jurtina. Marked individual variability has been found in six of the species. Stability of spotting over large areas has not been prominent, but a high degree of apparent geographical variability has been found in four species. Sometimes this has taken the form of clines and sometimes of quantal steps. Some of the quantal changes coincide with the appearance of different "subspecies". Among the incomplete data presented, parallel geographical variation in different species has not been an obvious feature. There have not been enough samples to test for temporal variation in spotting.