Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Desert Fritillary, Lesser Spotted Fritillary
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]
Habitat
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,500 meters (0 to 8,202 feet).[3]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
)
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
)
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
)
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
)
- A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
)
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
)
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
)
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
)
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
)
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
)
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
)
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
)
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
)
- Superorder:
Panorpida
(
)
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
)
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
)
- Family:
Nymphalidae
(
)
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Subfamily:
Nymphalinae
(
)
- Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc.
- Tribe:
Melitaeini
(
)
- Subtribe:
Melitaeina
(
)
- Genus:
Melitaea
(
)
- Fabricius, 1807
- Specific name:
trivia
- Denis & Schiffermüller 1775
- Scientific name: - Melitaea trivia Denis & Schiffermüller 1775
- Specific name:
trivia
- Denis & Schiffermüller 1775
- Genus:
Melitaea
(
- Subtribe:
Melitaeina
(
- Tribe:
Melitaeini
(
- Subfamily:
Nymphalinae
(
- Family:
Nymphalidae
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Superorder:
Panorpida
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Synonyms
Melitaea trivia< /i> (Denis & Schiffermüller
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name .
Similar Species
Members of the genus Melitaea
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 14 species and subspecies in this genus:
M. asteria (Little Fritillary) · M. athalia (Heath Fritillary) · M. cinxia (Glanville Fritillary) · M. cinxia cinxia (Glanville Fritillary) · M. diamina (False Heath Fritillary) · M. diamina diamina (False Heath Fritillary) · M. didyma (Red-Banded Fritillary) · M. didyma didyma (Red-Banded Fritillary) · M. parthenoides (Meadow Fritillary) · M. phoebe (Knapweed Fritillary) · M. phoebe phoebe (Knapweed Fritillary) · M. trivia (Lesser Spotted Fritillary) · M. trivia trivia (Lesser Spotted Fritillary) · M. varia (Grisons Fritillary)
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
- Annual report / Albany: University of the State of New York, 1902-1918. url p. 68.
- British journal of entomology and natural history. [London]: British Entomological and Natural History Society, 1988- url p. 33.
- Checklists for the CORINE Biotopes Programme and its application in the PHARE countries of Central and East Europe: including comparisons with relevant conventions and agreements on the conservation of European species and habitats EC url p. 108.
- International catalogue of scientific literature. LondonPublished for the International Council by the Royal Society of London1901-1920 url p. 304.
- Museum bulletin / New York State Museum. Albany, N.Y.: University of the State of New York, 1908-1916. url p. 68.
- Proceedings and transactions of the South London Entomological & Natural History Society. London: The Society. url p. 39.
- The Bulletin of zoological nomenclature. London, International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature. url p. 222.
- The Entomologist's monthly magazine. Oxford [etc.]Entomologist's Monthly Magazine Ltd. [etc.] url p. 257.
- The Entomologist's record and journal of variation. s.l., s.n. url , , , , , , , , , , , p. 101, p. 103, p. 106, p. 106, p. 11, p. 110, p. 123, p. 123, p. 124, p. 13, p. 134, p. 138, p. 139, p. 14, p. 145, p. 149, p. 151, p. 152, p. 154, p. 158, p. 170, p. 172, p. 18, p. 189, p. 19, p. 193, p. 197, p. 20, p. 210, p. 237, p. 238, p. 245, p. 246, p. 263, p. 277, p. 277, p. 278, p. 281, p. 283, p. 30, p. 30, p. 303, p. 33, p. 36, p. 36, p. 39, p. 44, p. 5, p. 54, p. 57, p. 57, p. 57, p. 6, p. 7, p. 72, p. 75, p. 8, p. 80, p. 80, p. 80, p. 92.
- The Entomologist. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., [1877- url p. 241, p. 241.
- 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. 220.
- Veröffentlichungen der Zoologischen Staatssammlung München. 2 1951 München: Die Staatssammlung, url p. 12.
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 17, 2012.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 26, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
- LepIndex: The Global Lepidoptera Names Index
- 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.
- The Global Lepidoptera Names Index2, 12.2, 2005.
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
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2980733
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-155909.0
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 631664
Footnotes
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=18&sci=Nymphalidae&com=Brush-footed Butterflies [back]
- http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Editha&search=Search [back]
- Mean = 497.520 meters (1,632.283 feet), Standard Deviation = 347.990 based on 300 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
