Euphydryas aurinia
by Michelle Meenawong
Title
Euphydryas aurinia
Artist
Michelle Meenawong
Medium
Photograph - Metal Print
Description
Euphydryas aurinia
This is a species of South and Central Europe. In Scandinavia to 62° N. It is absent from Italy (except the extreme north), south and central Greece, the Mediterranean islands and East Britain. Sea level-2,000 m. This species occurs throughout the temperate zone through Siberia to Korea. The global distribution area of the species is situated both within and outside Europe.
Although widespread in Europe, this species is local and restricted to areas with sufficient good quality habitat. It is reported extinct in the Netherlands. Strong decline in distribution or population size of more than 30% have been reported from Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia and Ukraine. Decline in distribution or population size of 6-30% have been reported from Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom (data provided by the national partners of Butterfly Conservation Europe).
The Marsh Fritillary occurs in very different types of habitat, like moist, sheltered grasslands, along the edges of raised bogs and on dry, calcareous grasslands. The foodplants are Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratense), Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria), Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) and teasels (Dipsacus spp.). The eggs are laid in large clumps under the leaves. The caterpillars spin a substantial nest between the leaves of the foodplants, feeding in it and also hibernating communally there. However, later they are solitary and look for places deep in the vegetation in which to pupate. The Marsh Fritillary has one generation a year. This is a very variable species with many sub-species. In Spain and Portugal, E.a. Beckeri is larger and brighter than most sub-species, with bold, black markings. E.a. Debilis is found above 1,800 m in the Alps and Pyrenees and is smaller, with a lot of black markings and hardly any orange. E. a. Provincialis occurs in the south of France and is pale orange. E. a. Hibernica occurs in Ireland and is very distinctive with prominent red and heavy black markings. Habitats: humid grasslands and tall herb communities (26%), mesophile grasslands (21%), dry calcareous grasslands and steppes (9%), broad-leaved deciduous forests (7%), heath and scrub (5%), alpine and subalpine grasslands (5%).
Although this species shows a decline in a part of its European range, it is not believed to face major threats at the European scale.
A very grateful thank you to the following groups for featuring this picture
Groovy Butterflies
06/13/2018
Art For Close Ups And Macro Happy And Friendly
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Bugs Bugs And More Bugs
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Macro Marvels
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Uploaded
June 12th, 2018
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