Speyeria zerene is a medium-sized butterfly whose length ranges from 25 to 28mm, and the wingspan is about 55mm. The body of the butterfly is black with orange brown on the upperside of the wings. Also on the underside are black veins with black spots. The undersides of the wings have silver metallic spots. The wings and the body are both covered in fine hairs.
Range
The native range spread from Washington state to California. They are now[when?] found in Oregon and California. As of 2013[update], they were found in numbers in Alpine County, California, at the 9,000 foot (2,700m) level in the Sierra Nevada range.[citation needed] The best habitats for the butterflies are coastal salt spray meadows, montane meadows, and stabilized dunes. The grasslands provide larval host plants which are a very important component of their habitat.
S. z. myrtleaedos Passos and Grey, 1945 – Myrtle's silverspot
S. z. picta(McDunnough, 1924)
S. z. platina(Skinner, 1897)
S. z. puntareyesJ. Emmel and T. Emmel in T. Emmel, 1998
S. z. sinopedos Passos and Grey, 1945
S. z. sitkaHammond, Harry and McCorkle, 2001
S. z. sonomensisJ. Emmel, T. Emmel and Mattoon in T. Emmel, 1998
S. z. zerene(Boisduval, 1852) – Zerene silverspot
Conservation
In 1999, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service initiated a recovery plan for Speyeria zerene. The recovery program helped establish breeding programs in several zoos and colleges that provide captive rearing for Speyeria zerene. In late summer, female butterflies are captured after they have mated and then transferred to a facility where they are induced to lay eggs. After the eggs hatch, the larvae are stored in a refrigerator over winter in order to replicate the conditions of the season. After the winter dormancy, the larvae are fed and cared for until they pupate or are large enough to be returned to the wild.
Speyeria zerene as seen in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada
Other programs that are being implemented to help the wild population include the regular mowing of meadows by private home owners, and especially habitat restoration for properties owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One of the most essential components of the Speyeria zerene habitat is the blue violet, or Viola adunca; it is used for the food and shelter of the early stages of a larva's life. However, the blue violet is also threatened by invasive species and the overgrowth of shrubs and trees in meadows. The facilities that have established breeding programs for the butterflies have also set up nurseries for the blue violets. These nurseries are mainly used to provide food for the larvae reared in these facilities, but some violets are also transported and planted in restoration sites.
Life cycle
The life cycle of Speyeria zerene begin when the pink-tan colored eggs hatch. Females lay these eggs on the dried stems and debris of the blue violet (Viola adunca). The larvae, which have spikes on their backs and are dark in color, emerge in the spring. The larvae grow in six stages of development (instars) and feed on the violet until it is time for the larvae to pupate, which they do on the violet. The pupae will remain there for approximately two weeks, until it emerges as a butterfly. The butterfly has a life expectancy of about three weeks. During this time the butterflies mate and feed solely on nectar. Females then lay eggs, and the life cycle starts again.
Diet
The diet of Speyeria zerene varies throughout its life history. When the larva emerges in the spring the diet consists solely on the leaves of the blue violet (Viola adunca). When the adult emerges from its chrysalis it will feed solely on nectar of flowers. It feeds on a variety of plants including ones from the family Asteraceae, its main source of nutrition, but other families of plants that the butterfly may feed on include thistles, asters, yarrow, and pearly everlasting.
The common blue butterfly or European common blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic. Butterflies in the Polyommatinae are collectively called blues, from the coloring of the wings. Common blue males usually have wings that are blue above with a black-brown border and a white fringe. The females are usually brown above with a blue dusting and orange spots.
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.
The great spangled fritillary is a North American butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.
Speyeria hydaspe, the Hydaspe fritillary, is a species of orange-brown butterfly found in the western portions of the United States and Canada. A small fritillary, it usually has cream-colored underwing spots, but the Vancouver Island subspecies has silver spots. It is similar to S. zerene and S. atlantis, but may be distinguished by the smooth and even appearance of its postmedian spotband. The caterpillars feed on violets including Viola glabella. A single brood flies from July through September and feeds on flower nectar. They may be found in moist forests, in clearings and subalpine meadows.
The Mission blue is a blue or lycaenid butterfly subspecies native to the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. The butterfly has been declared as endangered by the US federal government. It is a subspecies of Boisduval's blue.
Smith's blue butterfly, Euphilotes enoptes smithi, is an subspecies of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. This federally listed endangered subspecies of Euphilotes enoptes occurs in fragmented populations along the Central Coast of California, primarily associated with sand dune habitat in one case with a dune-based Maritime Coast Range Ponderosa Pine forest in the Carbonera Creek watershed in Santa Cruz County. The range of E. e. smithi is from Monterey Bay south to Punta Gorda.
The Diana fritillary is a fritillary butterfly found in several wooded areas in southern and eastern North America. 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.
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.
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. Myrtle's silverspot is also closely related to the Oregon silverspot.
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.
Speyeria, commonly known as greater fritillaries, is a genus of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae commonly found in North America, Europe, and Asia. Some authors used to consider this taxon a subgenus of Argynnis, but it has been reestablished as a separate genus in 2017.
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.
Papilio aristodemus, the Schaus' swallowtail or island swallowtail, is a species of American butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in southern Florida in the United States and throughout the West Indies. It is named in honor of William Schaus.
Comstock's silverspot is a subspecies of silverspot butterfly ranging from northern California to Baja Mexico. Populations are near extirpation in the Santa Monica Mountains and it is now rare in the San Gabriel Mountains. The larvae feed on Johnny jumpup. It is a very close relative of the endangered callippe silverspot butterfly, which is another subspecies of Speyeria callippe. Intermediate populations between these subspecies are fairly widespread.
Parnassius smintheus, the Rocky Mountain parnassian or Rocky Mountain apollo, is a high-altitude butterfly found in the Rocky Mountains throughout the United States and Canada. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family (Papilionidae). The butterfly ranges in color from white to pale yellow-brown, with red and black markings that indicate to predators it is unpalatable.
Speyeria callippe, the callippe fritillary, is a North American species of butterflies in the brush-footed family Nymphalidae.
Speyeria coronis, the Coronis fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae of North America. It is common from Baja California to Washington and east to Colorado and western South Dakota and once reported in Alberta.
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.
Speyeria zerene hippolyta, the Oregon silverspot, is a threatened butterfly that is found in the U.S. states of California and Oregon. It is a subspecies of Speyeria zerene.
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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
