Family:Nymphalidae
Family Description:
Note: This species is comprised of a number of subspecies,
including callippe, nevadensis, meadii, semivirda,
and others.
Caterpillar:
The caterpillar is gray marked with black, with a black head. The body is
covered with bristly spines,
either orange or black in color.
Adult:
The Fritillaries as a group are very similar in appearance, and the differences
between individual species are often minor and difficult to see. Positive identification
to the species level is difficult and requires detailed examination. This is
a medium-sized Fritillary, with a wingspan of 1 7/8 to 2 1/2 inches. Its appearance
varies between regions. The upperside
ranges from yellowish brown to orangish brown to reddish brown, and is edged
with one or two black lines. The bases of the wings may appear clouded with
brown or blackish brown. The forewing is marked with short, wavy black lines,
three of which on the leading edge are nearly parallel; in between one or two
pairs of the lines may be darker orange. There is also a row of black spots,
followed by a row of black, inverted "v"-shaped marks along the outside
edge. The wing veins are outlined thinly in black. The hindwing is similarly
marked; the silver spots from the hindwing's underside may show through as pale
patches or spots. Underneath, the
forewing is yellow to yellowish orange, darker at the base, marked with black
as above and with a row of silver spots or diamonds, tipped with brown or black,
near the outer edge. One or two pairs of the short, wavy black lines along the
leading edge have an orange patch in between the lines. The underside of the
hindwing is golden brown to brown, possibly tinged with green. It is marked
with large, oval-shaped silver spots, a curved band of yellow, followed by a
curved row of silver triangles capped with brown or green, along the outside
edge.
Range:
This is a western species, ranging from southern British Columbia, Alberta,
and Manitoba, south to southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. In Idaho, it occurs throughout the southern
half of the state and in a portion of the panhandle.
Habitat:
It is found in open, dry areas such as sagebrush steppe, chaparral, open woodlands,
and prairies.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars feed on the leaves of several species of violets (Viola
spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies drink flower nectar, often from thistle (Cirsium spp.).
Ecology:
There is one new generation
of caterpillars each year. Eggs hatch in the fall; the newly emerged caterpillars,
having not yet fed, enter a physiological state called diapause
to overwinter. In the spring the young caterpillars feed on the new leaves of
host plants.
Adults generally fly
from April through September. Fritillaries are long-lived for a butterfly, surviving
several weeks to months.
Reproduction:
Seeking receptive females,
males perch and actively patrol
on hilltops in mornings and hillsides in afternoons. pheromones
,
chemicals used to locate and attract the opposite sex, are produced by both
male and female Fritillaries. These chemicals are believed to play an important
role in assisting these butterflies to find and recognize other members of their
own species. Eggs are laid singly near host plants or under nearby shrubs. In
cases where the violet plant has already withered and blown away, females are
still able to lay their eggs near to where the host plant will reappear the
next spring. This is possible, it is believed, because females are able to locate
violet roots by smell!
Conservation:
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Global Rank: | Varies with subspecies. S. callippe callippe of the San Francisco Bay area of California is ranked as T1, which means it is critically imperiled because of extreme rarity and is imminently vulnerable to extinction. |
Opler, P. A., H. Pavulaan, and R. E. Stanford. 1995. Butterflies of North America. Jamestown, North Dakota, USA: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm (Version 05Nov98).
Opler, P. A. and A. B.Wright. 1999. A Field Guide to the Western Butterflies. Second Edition. Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York, USA, 540 pp.
Pyle, R. M. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, New York, USA, 924 pp.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, USA, 583 pp.
Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western U.S.A. Butterflies (Including Adjacent Parts of Canada and Mexico). Published by authors, Denver, Colorado, USA, 275 pp.