Diana fritillary

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Diana fritillary
Male Diana Fritillary Megan McCarty27.jpg
Male
Status TNC G2.svg
Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Speyeria
Species:
S. diana
Binomial name
Speyeria diana
(Cramer, 1779) [2]

The Diana fritillary (Speyeria diana) is a fritillary butterfly found in several wooded areas in southern and eastern North America (primarily in the Arkansas River valley, several counties in South Carolina, spots along the Appalachian mountain range, and a few places on the southern Cumberland Plateau). The species exhibits marked sexual dimorphism, with males of the species exhibiting an orange color on the edges of their wings, with a burnt orange underwing. Females are dark blue, with dark, almost dusty underwings, and are also larger than males. [3]

The larvae feed on violet leaves. Dianas are unusual in that they do not lay their eggs directly on the host plant, instead scattering the eggs around the base of the plant. Upon hatching, larvae burrow into the ground over winter to emerge in spring. Adults feed on flower nectar and dung. [3]

Living specimen (male) Speyeria diana.jpg
Living specimen (male)

On February 28, 2007, Act 156 of the Arkansas General Assembly designated the Diana fritillary as the official state butterfly. Introduced by Representative John Paul Wells of Logan County, the legislation for making the butterfly a state symbol took note of the butterfly's beauty, educational importance, and impact on tourism. Arkansas is the only state to designate the Diana fritillary as its state butterfly; pairing it with its state insect, the honeybee. Arkansas is the twenty-sixth state to designate a butterfly as a state symbol. [4]

Threats

The opposed threat to these magnificent species is climate change since it has altered and affected the Diana fritillary butterfly's natural habitat. The Diana fritillary population in the Appalachian Mountains and populations living out west will have a decrease of their kind. Other threats to the Diana fritillary butterflies include loss of habitat and agricultural development. Overall, the Diana fritillary species is expected to have a population decrease by the year 2050. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf fritillary</span> Sole species in brush-footed butterfly genus Agraulis

The Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. That subfamily was formerly set apart as a separate family, the Heliconiidae. The Heliconiinae are "longwing butterflies", which have long, narrow wings compared to other butterflies.

<i>Polygonia c-album</i> Species of butterfly

Polygonia c-album, the comma, is a food generalist (polyphagous) butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. The angular notches on the edges of the forewings are characteristic of the genus Polygonia, which is why species in the genus are commonly referred to as anglewing butterflies. Comma butterflies can be identified by their prominent orange and dark brown/black dorsal wings.

<i>Speyeria zerene</i> Species of butterfly

Speyeria zerene, the zerene fritillary, is a butterfly found in the western portions of the United States and Canada. The species was first described by William John Swainson in 1827.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small pearl-bordered fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

Boloria selene, known in Europe as the small pearl-bordered fritillary and in North America as the silver-bordered fritillary, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found across Europe, Asia and North America, and feeds exclusively on violets in its larval stages. This species prefers wet grassland habitats, where its larval food source, violets, are found. It overwinters in its larval stage, and eggs hatch in the late summer to early autumn. Members of this species are prey for multiple types of birds and other insects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High brown fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

Fabriciana adippe, the high brown fritillary, is a large and brightly colored butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, native to Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan. It is known for being Great Britain's most threatened butterfly and is listed as a vulnerable species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Like other fritillaries it is dependent on warm climates with violet rich flora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark green fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

The dark green fritillary is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The insect has a wide range in the Palearctic realm - Europe, Morocco, Iran, Siberia, Central Asia, China, Korea, and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsh fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

The marsh fritillary is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval stage lasts for approximately seven to eight months and includes a period of hibernation over the winter. The larvae are dependent on the host food plant Succisa pratensis not only for feeding but also for hibernation, because silken webs are formed on the host plant as the gregarious larvae enter hibernation. Females lay eggs in batches on the host plant and are, like other batch-layers, selective about the location of oviposition because offspring survivorship levels for batch-layers are more tied to location selection than they are for single-egg layers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glanville fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

The Glanville fritillary is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is named for the naturalist who discovered it and the checkerboard pattern on its wings. These butterflies live in almost all of Europe, especially Finland, and in parts of northwest Africa. They are absent from the far north of Europe and parts of the Iberian Peninsula. To the east they are found across the Palearctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uncompahgre fritillary</span>

The Uncompahgre fritillarybutterfly is a species of butterfly in the Order Lepidoptera: Family Nymphalidae that is endemic to Colorado, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarce fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

The scarce fritillary is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Callippe silverspot butterfly</span> Subspecies of butterfly

The callippe silverspot butterfly is a federal endangered species in the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. This is a subspecies. It is a member of the Heliconiinae, the subfamily known as longwings. The adult has a wingspan of just over two inches. The wings are eyecatching with a brown, tan, and black scalloped pattern on their surfaces and orange-brown with characteristic silver spots on the undersides. The wings and abdomen are hairy. The larvae are spiny, dark-colored caterpillars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle's silverspot</span> Subspecies of butterfly

Myrtle's silverspot is a medium-sized butterfly in the brush foot family (Nymphalidae), an endangered subspecies of the zerene fritillary. It is endemic to California, where it is known from only about four locations just north of the San Francisco Bay Area, including two at Point Reyes National Seashore. Its wingspan is approximately 2.2 inches (56 mm). The upper surfaces of the wings are golden brown with numerous black spots and lines. The undersides are brown, orange and tan with black lines and silver and black spots. Larvae are dark colored with many sharp branching spines on their backs. Myrtle's silverspot is larger and paler than the closely related Behrens' silverspot, which is now limited to the vicinity of Point Arena in Mendocino County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regal fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

The regal fritillary is a striking nymphalid butterfly found among some of the remaining tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies in the east-central United States. This prairie-specialist butterfly has a characteristic deep orange color and unmistakable dark hindwings with two bands of spots. On the female, both bands of spots are white. However, on the male, the outer band of spots is orange in color. Females also tend to be slightly larger than males. The ventral surface of the hindwings is olive brown to black in color with bold silvery white spots. The wingspan of S. idalia usually measures 68–105 millimetres (2.7–4.1 in). Flight is in the summertime from approximately June to September and adults tend to be swift in flight, coasting close to the ground. It is listed as a species of special concern and believed extirpated in the US state of Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aphrodite fritillary</span> Species of butterfly

The Aphrodite fritillary is a fritillary butterfly, from North America.

<i>Speyeria atlantis</i> Species of butterfly

Speyeria atlantis, the Atlantis fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae of North America. It is from the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador to northern British Columbia, across the northern United States south as far as Colorado and West Virginia. It resides as far north as James Bay. The species is listed as endangered in Connecticut.

<i>Speyeria callippe</i> Species of butterfly

Speyeria callippe, the callippe fritillary, is a North American species of butterflies in the brush-footed family Nymphalidae.

<i>Speyeria mormonia</i> Species of butterfly

Speyeria mormonia, commonly known as the Mormon fritillary, is a North American butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It is highly diverse, having differentiated into several subspecies which occupy a wide geographic range. S. mormonia exhibits extreme protandry, which is the emergence of male adults before female adults. This has several consequences on male and female behavior. Habitat specificity is still being investigated, as there are few known environmental predictors, and S. mormonia appears to be associated with a wide range of habitats. This species is not under threat, and conservation efforts are generally not necessary.

<i>Speyeria adiaste</i> Species of butterfly

Speyeria adiaste, the unsilvered fritillary or adiaste fritillary, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in California north to San Mateo County and east to north Los Angeles County and Kern County.

<i>Speyeria egleis</i> Species of butterfly

Speyeria egleis, commonly known as the Great Basin fritillary or egleis fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from North Dakota southwest through Oregon to California and south to Colorado. The habitat consists of mountain meadows, forest openings and exposed rocky ridges.

Speyeria carolae, or Carole's fritillary, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Cyril Franklin dos Passos and Lionel Paul Grey in 1942 and is found in North America, where it has only been recorded from the Charleston Mountains of Clark County, Nevada. The habitat consists of mountain slopes, foothills and forest openings.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 -Speyeria diana - Diana Fritillary". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  2. "Speyeria diana Cramer 1779" . Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  3. 1 2 "Diana, Butterflies and Moths of North America". Archived from the original on 2008-05-22. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  4. Spencer, Lori. "Mount Magazine State Park". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  5. Changes in the Geographic Distribution of the Diana Fritillary (Speyeria diana: Nymphalidae) under Forecasted Predictions of Climate Change. Retrieved March 26, 2021
  6. Tonkyn, David (2018). "Changes in the Geographic Distribution of the Diana Fritillary (Speyeria diana: Nymphalidae) under Forecasted Predictions of Climate Change". Insects. Carrie Wells. 9 (3): 94. doi: 10.3390/insects9030094 . PMC   6164860 . PMID   30072614.