Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

ab. millierei Cabeau 1923

The red bands on the forewing replaced with white.

ab. rosea Reuss 1910

In this example the red bands of the forewings are replaced with a beautiful rose colour on a deep black background. The bands shaded with white near the costa of the forewings, and interrupted with black in the median part.

Blotches in the apex of the forewings pure white and whitish scales seem to be mixed up with the black scales of the ground colour making it seem abnormally transparent when held against a light. The rosy bands then appear almost mauve.

Near the inner margin and close to the bright band there is a whitish blotch or suffusion.

On the hindwings one of the median ocelli should be white centred on the upperside.. This white spot does not seem to occur on this specimen, but I think, none the less that this specimen falls into the description of rosea.

ab. bialbata Cabeau 1911

This name refers to the white spot within the red band of the forewings.

This term does not apply to females of this species when it is called ab. ocellata Stammeshaus 1954

ab. ocellata Stammeshaus 1954

This name refers to the white spot within the red band of the forewings.

This term does not apply to females of this species when it is called ab. ocellata Stammeshaus 1954

I am not sure from the literature just when the term ocellata and bialbata should be used.

ab. angustifasciata  Lempke 1956

The red band on the forewing of this variation is distinctly narrower than the norm.

ab. angustifasciata  Lempke 1956 + ab. fracta Tutt 1896

angustifasciata refers to the red band on the forewing of this specimen being distinctly narrower than the norm.

fracta  describes the forewing red band being divided in the centre by black scaling that extends along the nervures. 

This red bands on this specimens forewings are actually divided by two lots of scaling where there is usually only one division.

trans ab. klymene Fischer 1896

This specimen is transitional to klymene, and is not quite as striking as a true klymene form.

The full description is as follows:  Forewings with the main subcostal spot completely absent. In the apical  submarginal area there is a series of six large  elongated spots in place of the normal row of uneven large and small ones.

The hindwings have very faint spots in the red band.

ab. klemensiewiczi Schille 1896

The main costal spot of the forewing reduced and somewhat obscured and the two lowest white spots of the apical submarginal chain very much enlarged, the bottom one being more than twice normal size, the two together forming a rather large squarish white blotch. Beneath this, in the red band, is a white spot.

The hindwings show a small white spot near the costa, slightly inwards from the red band, and the red band has no black spots

ab. merrifieldi Standfuss 1895

A very striking example of this fine variation of Vanessa atalanta.

The forewing bands somewhat obscured with black dusting. The main subcostal white spot much enlarged and suffused, with a white streak running from it down to the red band along the costal vein, and a prominent white spot in the red band.

The hindwing  blue spots replace the black ones in the red marginal band and small blue streaks on the inner edge of the band running into the black ground in small wedges.

ab. merrifieldi Standfuss 1895

The forewing bands somewhat obscured with black dusting. The main subcostal white spot much enlarged and suffused, with a white streak running from it down to the red band along the costal vein, and a prominent white spot in the red band. (not shown so well on this specimen)

The hindwing  blue spots replace the black ones in the red marginal band and small blue streaks on the inner edge of the band running into the black ground in small wedges.

ab.turcica Wize 1913

On this aberration there is a little white spot outside the uppermost white spot. This produces a figure reminiscent of the Turkish crescent and star on their national flag

trans ab. cabeauensis Lambillion 1903

 The hindwing bands are bereft of all black spots within the red band. In a true cabeauensis the elongated blue patch is also missing.

On the forewings the two lower white spots of the submarginal row are bordered with blue. The larger one on both sides, and the smaller one on its outside only.

An as yet undescribed variation. 

The hindwing spots are very much reduced and should make it a transitional form approaching ab. cabeauensis Lambillion 1903

ab. sordida Fritsch 1913 + ab. ocellata Stammeshaus 1954

The ocelli in the hindwing red band are enlarged into the shape of half moons. The ground colour of all wings should be blackish-grey instead of velvety black.

This specimen also has the white spot in the forewings making it an ab. ocellata Stammeshaus 1954

trans ab. cabeauensis Lambillion 1903

 The hindwing bands are bereft of all black spots within the red band. In a true cabeauensis the elongated blue patch is also missing.

On the forewings the two lower white spots of the submarginal row are bordered with blue. The larger one on both sides, and the smaller one on its outside only.

ab. largomarginata Gorenendi jk.

The hindwing red band is distinctly broader than normal.

ab. reducta Lempke 1956

In this variation the forewing has less than five white spots.

ab. fuscescens Lempke 1956

In this variation the overall ground colour of the upper surface is brown black, with the basal side of the forewings a thick black band.

On the inside of the hindwings red band there are a series of black spots.

ab. infranigrans Lempke 1956

The hindwing undersides are nearly completely black with the yellow discoidal spot usually dusted over with black.

ab. nana Schultz 1905

This refers to all dwarf specimens 38-50 mm. The specimen shown is just 40 mm.

Enlarged blue costal area.

This is an unnamed aberration where the forewings are suffused with white scales.

ab. eos Fritsch 1913

The red bands are replaced by orange-cinnabar

Here is an unnamed variation, with a reduced hindwing red band containing only three spots

scale defect

This type of imperfection does not have any particular name. There are a great number of problems that an insect can go through during emergence that can cause this problem.

It appears that the wing scales do not lie properly on the surface, usually being deformed in some way to give this appearance.

None the less it is a striking insect due to it being very uniform in appearance.