Vanessa vulcania
Encyclopedia
The Canary Red Admiral (Vanessa vulcania) is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family. It is endemic to the Canary islands
, (except Lanzarote
) and Madeira
. Previously, it was considered a subspecies of Vanessa indica
, but has been raised to species level after research by Leestman in 1992.
The wingspan
is 54–60 mm. Adults are on wing year round.
The larva
e feed on Urtica morifolia and Urtica urens
.
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 endemic to the Canary islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, (except Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
) and Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
. Previously, it was considered a subspecies of Vanessa indica
Vanessa indica
Vanessa indica, called the Asian Admiral in the United States and the Indian Red Admiral elsewhere, is a butterfly found in the higher altitude regions of India. It is a close relative of the Painted Lady.-Description:...
, but has been raised to species level after research by Leestman in 1992.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 54–60 mm. Adults are on wing year round.
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 feed on Urtica morifolia and Urtica urens
Urtica urens
Urtica urens, commonly known as Annual Nettle, Dwarf Nettle or Small Nettle, is a herbaceous annual plant species of the genus Urtica. It is native to Eurasia and it can be found in North America and New Zealand as an introduced species...
.