Observer Question: So while the VT Butterfly Atlas gives species accounts for L. arthemis arthemis and L. arthemis astyanax and mentions the hybrids, eButterfly only recognizes Limenitis arthemis. So the only way to account for the forms and hybrids is a photo voucher or a mention in the comments section of eButterfly. Is this correct or am I missing something?
Answer: We do not yet support subspecies, hybrids or forms in eButterfly. You can imagine how hard it has been for us to get a complete world list of species (which didnāt exist and we are still updating and improving as so many new developments have taken place in taxonomy just in the last year). Now add subspecies and forms and it gets really murky and wild. So for now, we do not have all those for admirals, just the species level. Please do add images of these, and honestly anything you encounter. Photo vouchers are always alway appreciated and one never knows what they might be used for in the future!
Observer: Oh, Iām confused! So Glassbergās White Admiral and Red-spotted Purple are now considered one species renamed Red-Spotted Admiral, L.arthemis? BUT, when White Admiral is entered as a species name in ebutā¦ it comes up as Limenitis camilla. This seems to be a European species tha looks like our āoldā White Admiral. Without this little bit of conversation brought up by Sue ā¦ and a little sleuthing, I could very well have entered my sighting of a āwhite admiralā as a European species.
Answer: It has always been considered one species - Limenitis arthemis. It is a complex of subspecies and forms of those that range from Red-spotted Purple (L. a. arthemis) to White Admiral (L. a. astyanax) and forms in between those two in the hybrid zone. This paper has some nice figures and sums the situation up very nicely - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2008.00401.x.
Now, in regards to the āotherā White Admiralā¦ That is indeed a European species. The North American common name really should be American White Admiral to relieve confusion, which is why we have latin binomial names too of course. I have seen just one mistake of someone entering L. camilla for Vermont and it was easily fixed of course. But indeed, that is a mistake someone could make and I will adjust the common name in the eB database when we make updates.