Speyeria idalia

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Speyeria idalia
Speyeria idalia, female

Speyeria idalia , female

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Butterflies (Lepidoptera)
Family : Noble butterfly (Nymphalidae)
Subfamily : Passion flower butterfly (Heliconiinae)
Genre : Speyeria
Type : Speyeria idalia
Scientific name
Speyeria idalia
( Drury , 1773)
Underside of the wing of a butterfly on a narrow-leaved sun hat
Distribution area 2008
Viola sororia, a host plant

Speyeria idalia is a butterfly fromthe noble butterfly family (Nymphalidae)found in central North America.

features

butterfly

The moths reach a wingspan of 67 to 105 millimeters. In both sexes, the orange or yellow-brown fore wing tops are patterned with black spots and lines. A row of white dots runs along the black-brown border. Further white dots can be seen near the apex . The basal region on the upper side of the hind wing is also orange-brown to yellow-brown in color. The black discal , post-disc and submarginal regions with two rows of spots are typical of the species, both of which are colored white in the females; in the males the row near the edge is colored orange-yellow. The underside of the forewings is similar in drawing to the upper side, while the entire underside of the hind wings is provided with mother-of-pearl spots on a black-brown background. In the subspecies Speyeria idalia occidentalis these spots are particularly large.

Caterpillar

Adult caterpillars have a black-brown basic color, a broad light brown to yellow back line and a cross-band of the same color on each body segment. The entire surface of the body is provided with unbranched light-colored thorns. The head is blackish.

Doll

The doll is designed as a falling doll and has a light brown color. It is slightly marbled and tinted pink. Small black dots stand out on the wing sheaths and on the thorax . The abdomen is provided with short bumps and yellowish stripes.

Similar species

Speyeria idalia is unmistakable due to the distinctive black and white drawing on the hind wings.

distribution and habitat

The distribution of Speyeria idalia essentially extends through the central states of the USA west of the Appalachians .

The species prefers to inhabit wet meadows and prairie- like areas.

Way of life

The moths fly in one generation from June to August. They like to suckle on flowers to eat, for example on silk plants ( Asclepias ), thistles , meadow clover ( Trifolium pratense ) or Pycnanthemum . The eggs are laid near the food plants. The newly hatched caterpillars overwinter without having consumed any food. They live individually and feed on the leaves of various types of violets ( Viola ) in spring , for example Viola sororia , Viola lanceolata and Viola pedata .

Danger

Research by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2017 found that Speyeria idalia populations have declined by 95% over the previous three decades. The species has almost completely disappeared from the eastern regions of the USA. With the decline of the heavily frequented food plant Viola sororia in prairie landscapes through reclamation or fire, the species was deprived of an essential basis of life. However, some caterpillars are able to survive larger prairie fires. The species is on the official Red List of Threatened Species of IUCN not currently operates in some states of the USA but it is as vulnerable (endangered) classified.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Information on Art
  2. ↑ Speyeria idalia occidentalis
  3. ↑ Markku Savela: Tanaecia Butler, [1869] - distribution. In: Lepidoptera and some other life forms. Retrieved January 7, 2019 .
  4. ↑ caterpillar
  5. ↑ James A. Scott: The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0 , p. 327
  6. ↑ Andrew J. Caven, Kelsey C. King, Joshua D. Wiese and Emma M. Brinley Buckley: A descriptive analysis of Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia) habitat utilizing biological monitoring data along the big bend of the Platte River, NE , Journal of Insect Conservation, Volume 21, Issue 2, 2017, pp. 183-205
  7. ↑ Kelsey McCullough, Gene Albanese and David A. Haukos: Novel observations of larval fire survival, feeding behavior, and host plant use in the regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia (Drury) (Nymphalidae) , Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society, Volume 71, Issue 3, 2017, pp. 146–152

literature

  • James A. Scott: The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 1986, ISBN 0-8047-1205-0

Web links

Commons : Speyeria idalia  - collection of images, videos and audio files