Marsh Fritillary
Encyclopedia
The Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia, is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family.It is widespread in the Palaearctic region from Ireland
in the West to Yakutia in the East, and to North-west China
and Mongolia
in the South.E. aurinia is represented by many subspecies
.
The most widely accepted are:
but the total number of described subspecies is much higher especially in the Eastern Palaearctic.The insect may be best considered
a superspecies
.
The larvae are recorded as feeding on Succisa pratensis
and species of Digitalis
, Plantago
,Veronica
(V.dubravnaya, etc.), Geranium,Sambucus, Gentiana, Valeriana
, Lonicera, Filipendula
, Spiraea
and Viburnum
.
and one of 11 butterflies covered by the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan
. Within the British Isles
, it is more frequent in the south and west.
The adult butterflies are marked in checkered marking of gold and brown with a black background. The underside of the wings is patterned with yellow orange and black without any silver coloration at all. The eggs are yellow identified by being in a large batch,and the larva
e are black.
The Marsh Fritillary is usually to be found in damp heathy grasslands which are called rhos pastures from the Welsh
word meaning heath
, but the species does exist in other types of habitats which are drier, like neutral grasslands or dry calcareous grassland
s. Small populations may be seen where there is not a lot of the larval foodplant present. Small populations can be an important element of the ecology because they can produce lots of mobile individuals which can found other populations.
The Marsh Fritillary is protected under British Law. It is listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, also the EU Habitats and Species Directive (Annex II).
The butterflies fly from the April until July depending on latitude and altitude.
, but can also include the field scabious Knautia arvensis
and the small scabious Scabiosa columbaria.
s hatch from the end of June onwards. The young caterpillars live in communal webs that are spun across the foodplant and these become conspicuous by the end of August. In the autumn they make stronger webs, closer to the ground usually within a dense grass tussock, where they will start to hibernate. In the spring the caterpillars start to disperse from their communities after their last molt. They change colour from brown to black and may be occasionally seen basking in the sun. They need to be warm in order to eat. The caterpillars are liable to be attacked by the parasitoid wasp Apanteles bignellii, especially in warm spring weather. Pupae form from mid April, low down deep within grass tussocks or dead leaves. Adults emerge from mid-June to mid July.
s. A metapopulation is defined as a collection of local populations that are connected together as a result of occasional dispersal. Amongst these some will disappear and others will be founded.
Usually the Marsh Fritillary lives in small populations that tend to die out and new populations are founded from nearby sites. An important feature of metapopulations is that there will always be empty habitat within the system. It is possible for the majority of the habitat patches to be empty. The security of suitable places where the butterfly does not presently occur is essential to its survival in the long term.
This can be achieved through:
owns a number of sites for which it monitors this species. Examples include Stowford Moor (near Holsworthy, Devon
), Dunsdon nature reserve (near Bude
), Mambury Moor (near Great Torrington
), Vealand Farm nature reserve (near Holsworthy), Volehouse Nature Reserve (near Holsworthy). In 2009, counts of number of species had significantly increased from years 2007 and 2008.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
family.It is widespread in the Palaearctic region from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the West to Yakutia in the East, and to North-west China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
in the South.E. aurinia is represented by many subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
.
The most widely accepted are:
- E. a. aurinia Central EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Southern Europe, West SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
- E. a. bulgarica (Fruhstorfer, 1916) Carpathian MountainsCarpathian MountainsThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
- E. a. laeta (Christoph, 1893) Central Siberia, Altai, SayanSayan MountainsThe Sayan Mountains are a mountain range between northwestern Mongolia and southern Siberia, Russia.The Eastern Sayan extends from the Yenisei River at 92° E to the southwest end of Lake Baikal at 106° E...
, TransbaikalTransbaikalTransbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia , or Dauria is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" Lake Baikal in Russia. The alternative name, Dauria, is derived from the ethnonym of the Daur people. It stretches for almost 1000 km from north to south from the Patomskoye Plateau and North...
- E. a. beckeri (Lederer, 1853) MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
(Middle AtlasMiddle AtlasThe Middle Atlas is part of the Atlas mountain range lying in Morocco, a mountainous country with more than 100,000 km² or 15% of its landmass rising above 2,000 metres. The Middle Atlas is the northernmost of three Atlas Mountains chains that define a large plateaued basin extending eastward...
, Rif Mountains)
- E. a. barraguei (Betz, 1956) AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
but the total number of described subspecies is much higher especially in the Eastern Palaearctic.The insect may be best considered
a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
.
The larvae are recorded as feeding on Succisa pratensis
Succisa pratensis
Succisa pratensis Moench, also known as Devil's-bit Scabious, is a flowering plant of the genus Succisa in the family Dipsacaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has 4 lobed flowers, whereas Small Scabious and Field scabious have 5 lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate...
and species of Digitalis
Digitalis
Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials that are commonly called foxgloves. This genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, but recent reviews of phylogenetic research have placed it in the much enlarged family...
, Plantago
Plantago
Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of small, inconspicuous plants commonly called plantains. They share this name with the very dissimilar plantain, a kind of banana. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 cm tall. The leaves are sessile, but have a narrow...
,Veronica
Veronica (plant)
Veronica is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Plantaginaceae, with about 500 species; it was formerly classified in the family Scrophulariaceae...
(V.dubravnaya, etc.), Geranium,Sambucus, Gentiana, Valeriana
Valeriana
Valeriana is a genus of flowering plants in the family Valerianaceae. It includes a number of species of which the best known is the garden valerian Valeriana officinalis...
, Lonicera, Filipendula
Filipendula
Filipendula is a genus of 12 species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Well-known species include Meadowsweet and Dropwort , both native to Europe, and Queen-of-the-forest and Queen-of-the-prairie...
, Spiraea
Spiraea
Spiraea , is a genus of about 80-100 species of shrubs in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Spiraeoideae. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest diversity in eastern Asia....
and Viburnum
Viburnum
Viburnum is a genus of about 150–175 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. Its current classification is based on molecular phylogeny...
.
The Marsh Fritillary in the British Isles
The Marsh Fritillary is in decline in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and one of 11 butterflies covered by the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan
United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan
The United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan is the governmental response to the Convention on Biological Diversity signed in 1992. When the Biodiversity Action Plans were first published in 1994, the conservation of 391 species and 45 habitats was covered. 1,150 species and 65 habitats are...
. Within the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, it is more frequent in the south and west.
The adult butterflies are marked in checkered marking of gold and brown with a black background. The underside of the wings is patterned with yellow orange and black without any silver coloration at all. The eggs are yellow identified by being in a large batch,and the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e are black.
The Marsh Fritillary is usually to be found in damp heathy grasslands which are called rhos pastures from the Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
word meaning heath
Heath
-Habitats:* Heath or heathland, low-growing woody vegetation, mostly consisting of heathers and related species* Heaths in the British National Vegetation Classification system...
, but the species does exist in other types of habitats which are drier, like neutral grasslands or dry calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover...
s. Small populations may be seen where there is not a lot of the larval foodplant present. Small populations can be an important element of the ecology because they can produce lots of mobile individuals which can found other populations.
The Marsh Fritillary is protected under British Law. It is listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, also the EU Habitats and Species Directive (Annex II).
The butterflies fly from the April until July depending on latitude and altitude.
Habitats
- Damp and heathy grassland, dominated by tussock forming grasses, including Purple Moor and Rush Pastures
- Calcareous grasslandCalcareous grasslandCalcareous grassland is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover...
- Temporary colonies - woodland clearings and other grasses
Food plants
The main food plant of the Marsh Fritillary is the Devil's bit scabious, Succisa pratensisSuccisa pratensis
Succisa pratensis Moench, also known as Devil's-bit Scabious, is a flowering plant of the genus Succisa in the family Dipsacaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has 4 lobed flowers, whereas Small Scabious and Field scabious have 5 lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate...
, but can also include the field scabious Knautia arvensis
Knautia arvensis
Knautia arvensis, commonly known as Field Scabious, is a species in the genus Knautia.It is a perennial plant that grows between 25 and 100 cm. It prefers grassy places and dry soils, avoiding heavy soils, and flowers between July and September. The flowered head is flatter than similar...
and the small scabious Scabiosa columbaria.
Life cycle
The eggs are laid in groups on the underside of the leaves in May and June. Up to 350 are laid in a single batch. They turn from pale yellow when first laid, turn bright yellow, then crimson, and finally to dark grey just prior to hatching. The caterpillarCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s hatch from the end of June onwards. The young caterpillars live in communal webs that are spun across the foodplant and these become conspicuous by the end of August. In the autumn they make stronger webs, closer to the ground usually within a dense grass tussock, where they will start to hibernate. In the spring the caterpillars start to disperse from their communities after their last molt. They change colour from brown to black and may be occasionally seen basking in the sun. They need to be warm in order to eat. The caterpillars are liable to be attacked by the parasitoid wasp Apanteles bignellii, especially in warm spring weather. Pupae form from mid April, low down deep within grass tussocks or dead leaves. Adults emerge from mid-June to mid July.
Metapopulations
Research work on the population dynamics of the Marsh Fritillary has shown that they live in metapopulationMetapopulation
A metapopulation consists of a group of spatially separated populations of the same species which interact at some level. The term metapopulation was coined by Richard Levins in 1970 to describe a model of population dynamics of insect pests in agricultural fields, but the idea has been most...
s. A metapopulation is defined as a collection of local populations that are connected together as a result of occasional dispersal. Amongst these some will disappear and others will be founded.
Usually the Marsh Fritillary lives in small populations that tend to die out and new populations are founded from nearby sites. An important feature of metapopulations is that there will always be empty habitat within the system. It is possible for the majority of the habitat patches to be empty. The security of suitable places where the butterfly does not presently occur is essential to its survival in the long term.
Management
The aim is to produce an uneven patchwork of short and long vegetation by the end of the grazing period, between 8 and 25 cm. This is to allow the food plant to grow.This can be achieved through:
- Low intensity grazing (also known as extensive grazing) using cattleCattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. Sheep are not so good as they are more efficient at removing wild plants. - Burning - not so good as may kill a proportion of Marsh Fritillary
Monitoring and indicators of success
- The frequency of larval webs in 3m strip can be counted during random walk of at least 100 paces in October - February. The larval web present in at least 30% of paces.
- Frequency of flowers (adult nectar sources) counted within 3m strip during random walk in May - June should be at least 50%
- Frequency of Succisa pratensisSuccisa pratensisSuccisa pratensis Moench, also known as Devil's-bit Scabious, is a flowering plant of the genus Succisa in the family Dipsacaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has 4 lobed flowers, whereas Small Scabious and Field scabious have 5 lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate...
(larval foodplant) counted within 3m strip during a random walk of at least 100 paces. Succisa pratensis in at least 80% of paces. No more than 25% reduction in abundance - Average height of sward measured by drop disc or by estimation. There should be a mosaic of sward heights of between 8 – 20 cm during May - September
- Sward structure monitoring. The butterflies require varied habitat structure: basking sites, supplies of nectar, roosting area.
Example sites
The Devon Wildlife TrustDevon Wildlife Trust
The Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of Devon, England. It is a registered charity, established in 1962 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's urban, rural and marine wildlife and its...
owns a number of sites for which it monitors this species. Examples include Stowford Moor (near Holsworthy, Devon
Holsworthy, Devon
Holsworthy is a market town in the north west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...
), Dunsdon nature reserve (near Bude
Bude
Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
), Mambury Moor (near Great Torrington
Great Torrington
Great Torrington is a small market town in the north of Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below...
), Vealand Farm nature reserve (near Holsworthy), Volehouse Nature Reserve (near Holsworthy). In 2009, counts of number of species had significantly increased from years 2007 and 2008.
External links
- Marsh Fritillary in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
- Butterfly Conservation run a project devoted to the conservation of this butterfly.
- Marsh Fritillary Fact sheet on how to manage sites
- UK Butterfly organisation description on this species
- Devon Wildlife TrustDevon Wildlife TrustThe Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of Devon, England. It is a registered charity, established in 1962 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's urban, rural and marine wildlife and its...
manages a number of strongholds for the species including Volehouse Moor, Dunsdon, Meshaw Moor and Vealand farm - McKee, L. 2008. "Bid to halt decline of butterfly." Belfast Telegraph. 18 July 2008. p. 10 (www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk)
- JNCC website: SAC selection, Annex II Species Accounts