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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
The Marbled White is one of our most distinctive butterflies and is unique in terms of its colouration and wing pattern. It is an attractive black and white butterfly which is unlikely to be mistaken for any other species. Its is commonly encountered in grassy meadows and will often feed on purple flowers such as Knapweed Thisles Scabious and Marjoram. It is however classified as a 'Brown' butterfly of the family Satyrinae as its life cycle and habits are very similar to other grassland 'Browns' such as the Ringlet Meadow Brown, and Gatekeeper.
Adult butterflies may be found roosting halfway down tall grass stems although they are well camouflaged. On dull days, they can often be flushed from tall grass as you walk through.
Marbled Whites are often seen with small scarlet red parasitic mites attached to their bodies. These parasites Trombidium breei feed on the blood of the living butterfly and in small numbers do not pose a threat to the butterfly's life. A major infestation may however kill the butterfly. It is thought that male butterflies tend to have a higher insidence of infestation. See 'Parasitism by the mite Trombidium breei on four UK butterfly species by Conradt, Corbet, Roper and Bodsworth 2002.
Habitat
The Marbled White occurs as discrete colonies on unimproved grassland where a wide range of grass species especially Red Fescue occurs forming a tall sward that is rarely cut or grazed.
Large colonies tend to be found on unimproved chalk or limestone grassland, but it may also occur in woodland rides and clearings, waste ground, road verges, and railway embankments.
Larval Food Plants
The full range of larval food plants is not known as the larvae of the Marbled White feed on a wide variety of grasses. This is primarily because the adult female butterflies do not lay their eggs directly onto the larval food plant. Instead they drop the small white circular eggs as they flutter through tall grass.
Red Fescue (Festuca rubra) is thought to be an essential food plant while it is know that Sheep's-fescue (Festuca ovina) Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus), and Tor-grass (Brachypodium pinnatum) is also used.
British Subspecies
The following sub-species of the Marbled White occur in the UK.
 Marbled White - Melanargia galathea serena (Verity, 1913) - Occurs in the UK.
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 43 photographs of the Marbled White in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB1814 - Marbled White
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BB1813 - Marbled White
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BB1812 - Marbled White
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BB1802 - Marbled White
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BB1801 - Marbled White
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BB1800 - Marbled White
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BB1799 - Marbled White
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BB1798 - Marbled White
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| Distribution |
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| Found throughout most of south and central England and parts of south Wales. It is currently absent in Scotland, however it seems with global warming that this species is slowly colonising new sites as it moves northwards. |
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| Where to see the Marbled White |
| Found throughout most of south and central England and parts of south Wales. It is absent in Scotland... however it seems with global warming that this species is slowly colonising new sites as it moves northwards. |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Marbled White is a resident species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  down by -15% |
(1976-2004)  up by 129% |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
not listed (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 least concern4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Marbled White can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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Aberrations and Forms |
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| We currently know of 11 named aberrant forms of the Marbled White. More information about aberrants can be found here. |
 ab. aperta - Rebel (1910) |
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| ab. citrana - Lambillion (1906) |
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| ab. flava - Tutt (1896) |
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| ab. galene - Ochsenheimer (1808) |
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| ab. leucogonia - Collier (1952) |
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| ab. marconi - Frohawk (1938) |
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| ab. minor - Pionneau (1927) |
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| ab. mosleyi - Oberthür (1909) |
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| ab. nigrata - Schröder (1924) |
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| ab. nigricans - Culot (1911) |
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| ab. rubra - Mosley (1896) |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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53-58mm
