Aglais urticae

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Nymphalidae

'The Nymphalidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Distributed worldwide, butterflies of this family are especially rich in the tropics. They are highly variable, and there are more species in this family than in any other. Adults vary in size from small to large, and their front legs are reduced, unable to be used for walking. Wing shape is also highly variable: some species have irregular margins (anglewings and commas), and others have long taillike projections (daggerwings). Browns, oranges, yellows, and blacks are frequent colors, while iridescent colors such as purples and blues are rare. Adults of some groups are the longest-lived butterflies, surviving 6-11 months. Adult feeding behavior depends on the species, where some groups primarily seek flower nectar while others only feed on sap flows , rotting fruit, dung, or animal carcasses. Males exhibit perching and patrolling behaviors when seeking mates. Egg-laying varies widely, as some species lay eggs in clustsers, others in columns, and others singly. Caterpillar appearance and behavior vary widely. Brushfoots overwinter as larvae or adults.

'[1]

Subfamily Nymphalinae

Brushfoots are the most prevalent members of the Family Nymphalinae. Distributed worldwide, this is a diverse group that contains several tribes , each with somewhat different structural and biological features. Adults of North American species are predominantly orange, brown, and black. Wing shape and mating systems are variable. Most checkerspots and crescentspots patrol for mates, while the remainder of groups exhibit either perching or perching and patrolling . Migration varies widely; some strong migrants are found in the lady butterflies, tortoiseshells, and anglewings, while other species are local in occurrence. Most species limit their host plants to a few species, but the Painted Lady has one of the widest host palettes of all butterflies. Eggs are laid singly or clustered in groups, and caterpillars be found feeding alone or communally. Brushfoots overwinter as young caterpillars or hibernating adults.[2]

Physical Description

Habitat

Gardens and weedy areas; migrates to high mountains.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,595 meters (0 to 8,514 feet).[3]

Biology

Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Nettles (Urticaceae family ). Adult food: Flower nectar, including that of butterfly bush (Buddleia).

Reproduction

In the afternoon, males perch on hillsides, banks of gulches, logs , or behind bushes to watch for females. Eggs are laid in large batches on the underside of host plant leaves. Young caterpillars feed together in a web, while older ones feed alone and make shelters of folded leaves tied with silk . Adults hibernate, sometimes in small groups.

Behavior

Flight: One to three broods from March-October.

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Aglais

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 5 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. ichnusa (Sardinian Small Tortoiseshell) · A. milberti (Milbert's Tortoiseshell) · A. milberti milberti (Milbert's Tortoise Shell) · A. urticae (Small Tortoiseshell) · A. urticae urticae (Mountain Tortoiseshell)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A natural history of the British Lepidoptera: a text-book for students and collectors / by J.W. Tutt. London: S. Sonnenschein, 1899-1904. url p. 54.
• A natural history of the British butterflies; their world-wide variation and geographical distribution. A text-book for students and collectors. London: E. Stock, [19--?] url p. 39, p. 50, p. 54.
• Bibliography (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) / Charles A. Bridges. Urbana, Ill.: C.A. Bridges, c1993. url p. 438.
• Biodiversity trends and threats in Europe: development and test of a species trend indicator RIVM, UNEP-WCMC url p. 44, p. 45, p. 66.
• British journal of entomology and natural history. [London]: British Entomological and Natural History Society, 1988- url , , p. 115, p. 141, p. 143, p. 145, p. 146, p. 147, p. 148, p. 148, p. 178, p. 179, p. 180, p. 20, p. 205, p. 207, p. 208, p. 21, p. 210, p. 22, p. 22, p. 24, p. 27, p. 30, p. 31, p. 5, p. 50, p. 51, p. 52, p. 53, p. 54, p. 56, p. 56, p. 62, p. 81, p. 83, p. 95.
• Entomological news, and proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia[Entomological Rooms of the Academy of Natural Sciences] url p. 138.
• Frail children of the air; excursions into the world of butterflies, by Samuel Hubbard Scudder. Boston, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1897. url p. 246, p. 258, p. 277, p. 66, p. 69.
• International catalogue of scientific literature. LondonPublished for the International Council by the Royal Society of London1901-1920 url p. 146.
• Proceedings and transactions of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. London, British Entomological and Natural History Society. url , , , , p. 10, p. 104, p. 104, p. 105, p. 109, p. 110, p. 112, p. 113, p. 114, p. 116, p. 119, p. 12, p. 121, p. 122, p. 122, p. 124, p. 127, p. 13, p. 13, p. 132, p. 133, p. 134, p. 14, p. 150, p. 2, p. 22, p. 26, p. 27, p. 28, p. 3, p. 33, p. 36, p. 4, p. 4, p. 40, p. 41, p. 42, p. 43, p. 44, p. 45, p. 46, p. 48, p. 48, p. 51, p. 52, p. 53, p. 54, p. 56, p. 56, p. 57, p. 6, p. 60, p. 60, p. 61, p. 62, p. 63, p. 69, p. 78, p. 79, p. 8, p. 8, p. 88, p. 9, p. 99, p. 99.
• Proceedings of the South London Entomological & Natural History Society. London [Eng]: South London Entomological and Natural history Society, [1897-1933] url p. 10, p. 106, p. 114, p. 115, p. 118, p. 124, p. 124, p. 125, p. 128, p. 128, p. 133, p. 138, p. 32, p. 51, p. 52, p. 56, p. 65, p. 68, p. 83, p. 86, p. 87, p. 9, p. 92, p. 94, p. 99.
• Science-gossip. Berlin: R. Friedländer & Sohn, [1894]-1902. url p. 135, p. 166, p. 214, p. 254.
• The Biological bulletin. Woods Hole, Mass.: Marine Biological Laboratory, url p. 316.
• The Macrolepidoptera of the world; a systematic description of the hitherto known Macrolepidoptera, ed. in collaboration with well-known specialists. Stuttgart: Seitz'schen (Kernen), 1906- url p. 201.
• The biology of insects, by George H. Carpenter. .. New York, The Macmillan Company, 1928. url p. 264, p. 299, p. 362, p. 465.
• The viruses; biochemical, biological, and biophysical properties, edited by F. M. Burnet [and] W. M. Stanley. New York, Academic Press, 1959. url , p. 388, p. 407.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 15, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 26, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 13 providers.
• LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
• Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. March 26, 2007.
• Opler, Paul A., Kelly Lotts, and Thomas Naberhaus, coordinators. 2009. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Big Sky Institute. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ (Version of April 17, 2009).
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 26, 2008:

• Biologiezentrum der Oberoesterreichischen Landesmuseen: Biologiezentrum Linz
• European Environment Agency: EUNIS
• GBIF-Spain: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid; Lepidópteros
• GBIF-Sweden: Bugs (GBIF-SE:Artdatabanken)
• GBIF-Sweden: Lepidoptera (Observations)
• GBIF-Sweden: Lepidoptera (Specimens NRM)
• inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn
• Institute of Environmental Sciences UJ: Lepidoptera of Cracow City
• Institute of Nature Conservation PAS: Bumblebees, cuckoobees and butterflies
• Nicolaus Copernicus University of Torun: The Distribution Atlas of Butterflies in Poland
• SysTax
• SysTax: Lobbecke Museum Dusseldorf
• The Danish Biodiversity Information Facility: ConDidact public insect surveys (danske-dyr.dk)
• UK National Biodiversity Network: East Ayrshire Countryside Ranger Service - East Ayrshire Species Database
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Environment and Heritage Service - EHS Species Datasets
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Highland Biological Recording Group - HBRG Lepidoptera dataset
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Lothian Wildlife Information Centre - Lothian Wildlife Information Centre Secret Garden Survey
• UK National Biodiversity Network: Scottish Borders Biological Records Centre - SWT Scottish Borders Local Wildlife Site Survey data 1996-2000 - species information
• University of Alaska Museum of the North: Kenelm W. Philip Lepidoptera Collection
• University of Helsinki, Department of Applied Biology: European Lepidoptera Observations by Donald Hobern
• University of Helsinki, Department of Applied Biology: Lepidoptera collection of Hannu Saarenmaa
• University of Helsinki, Department of Applied Biology: Lepidopterological Society of Finland
• University of Navarra, Museum of Zoology: Museum of Zoology, University of Navarra

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2981102
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-156957.0
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 5347612
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 631495

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=18&sci=Nymphalidae&com=Brush-footed Butterflies [back]
2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Editha&search=Search [back]
3. Mean = 157.070 meters (515.322 feet), Standard Deviation = 244.580 based on 17,878 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.