Silver-washed Fritillary
Encyclopedia
Argynnis paphia is a common and variable butterfly found over much of the Palaearctic ecozone – Algeria, Europe, temperate Asia and Japan.
The Silver-washed fritillary butterfly is deep orange with black spots on the upper side of its wings, and has a wingspan of 54–70 mm, with the male being smaller and paler than the female. The underside is green, and, unlike other fritillaries, has silver streaks instead of silver spots, hence the name silver-washed. The caterpillar
is black-brown with two yellow lines along its back and long reddish-brown spines.
Adults feed on the nectar of bramble
, thistle
s, and knapweeds, and also on aphid honeydew. The silver-washed is a strong flier, and more mobile than other fritillaries, and, as such, can be seen gliding above the tree canopy at high speed. Its preferred habitat is thin, sunny, deciduous
woodland, especially oaks, but it has been known to live in coniferous woodland.
The male possesses scent scales on the upper side of the forewing that run along veins one to four. The scent produced from these scales attracts females and helps to distinguish it from other species. Unusually for a butterfly, the female does not lay her eggs on the leaves or stem of the caterpillar's food source (in this case violets), but instead one or two meters above the woodland floor in the crevices of tree bark close to clumps of violets.
When the egg hatches in August, the caterpillar
immediately goes into hibernation until spring. Upon awakening, it will drop to the ground, and feeds on violets close to the base of the tree. The caterpillar usually feeds at night, and usually conceals itself during the day away from its food source, but during cool weather will bask in the sunny spots on the forest floor on dry, dead leaves. It will make its chrysalis amongst the ground vegetation, and the adults will emerge in June.
The main larval food plant of the species is the common dog violet Viola riviniana
.
Subspecies
- A. p. butleri Krulikovsky, 1909 Northern Europe, Central Europe
- A. p. thalassata FruhstorferHans FruhstorferHans Fruhstorfer was a German explorer, insect trader and entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. He collected and described many new species of exotic butterflies, especially in Seitz's Macrolepidoptera of the World...
, 1909 Southern Europe - A. p. dives (OberthürCharles OberthürCharles Oberthür was a French entomologist specializing in Lepidoptera. He was the son of François-Charles Oberthür.Oberthür named 42 new genera of moths -Works:...
, 1908) Algeria - A. p. argyrorrhytes SeitzAdalbert SeitzAdalbert Seitz was a German entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera.He was the editor of Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde . This is a sixteen volume work with four supplements published in German, French, and English. For details see Griffin, F. J....
, [1909] North Caucasus - A. p. delila RöberJulius RöberJulius Röber was a German entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera.Röber lived in Dresden.He described many new species and genera .-Works:*Parts of Staudinger, O., and Schatz, E...
, 1896 Turkey - A. p. masandarensis Gross & Ebert, 1975 Iran
- A. p. pusilla Wnukowsky, 1927 North-West Siberia
- A. p. neopaphia Fruhstorfer, 1907 Amur
- A. p. virescens Nakahara, 1926 Kuriles
- A. p. geisha Hemming , 1934 Japan
- A. p. tsushimana Fruhstorfer, 1906 Japan
- A. p. megalegoria Fruhstorfer, 1907 Szechuan , Yunnan
- A. p. argyrophontes Oberthür, 1923 South-West China
- A. p. formosicola Matsumura
United Kingdom
The Silver-washed Fritillary (Argynnis paphia) was in decline in the UK for much of the 1970s and 1980s, but seems to be coming back to many of its old territories.The Silver-washed fritillary butterfly is deep orange with black spots on the upper side of its wings, and has a wingspan of 54–70 mm, with the male being smaller and paler than the female. The underside is green, and, unlike other fritillaries, has silver streaks instead of silver spots, hence the name silver-washed. The caterpillar
Caterpillar
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...
is black-brown with two yellow lines along its back and long reddish-brown spines.
Adults feed on the nectar of bramble
Bramble
Brambles are thorny plants of the genus Rubus, in the rose family . Bramble fruit is the fruit of any such plant, including the blackberry and raspberry. The word comes from Germanic *bram-bezi, whence also German Brombeere , Dutch Braam and French framboise...
, thistle
Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
s, and knapweeds, and also on aphid honeydew. The silver-washed is a strong flier, and more mobile than other fritillaries, and, as such, can be seen gliding above the tree canopy at high speed. Its preferred habitat is thin, sunny, deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
woodland, especially oaks, but it has been known to live in coniferous woodland.
The male possesses scent scales on the upper side of the forewing that run along veins one to four. The scent produced from these scales attracts females and helps to distinguish it from other species. Unusually for a butterfly, the female does not lay her eggs on the leaves or stem of the caterpillar's food source (in this case violets), but instead one or two meters above the woodland floor in the crevices of tree bark close to clumps of violets.
When the egg hatches in August, the caterpillar
Caterpillar
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...
immediately goes into hibernation until spring. Upon awakening, it will drop to the ground, and feeds on violets close to the base of the tree. The caterpillar usually feeds at night, and usually conceals itself during the day away from its food source, but during cool weather will bask in the sunny spots on the forest floor on dry, dead leaves. It will make its chrysalis amongst the ground vegetation, and the adults will emerge in June.
The main larval food plant of the species is the common dog violet Viola riviniana
Viola riviniana
Viola riviniana, the Common Dog-violet, is a species of the genus Viola. It is also called wood violet or dog violet. It is a perennial herb of woodland rides, grassland and shady hedge banks...
.