Speyeria cybele

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

Interesting Facts

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 Heliconiinae

Longwings are members of the Family Nymphalidae. They are richest in the tropics, but several genera are prominent in the Northern Hermisphere, including the fritillaries or silverspots and the lesser fritillaries. The adults of several species are distasteful, and many other species mimic the distasteful butterflies of this subfamily . Adults are long-lived, with some as long as six months. Males patrol in search of females. The adults of genus Heliconius are unique in that they intentionally collect pollen in their proboscis and then absorb its proteins.[2]

Physical Description

Habitat

Open, moist places including fields , valleys, pastures, right-of-ways, meadows, open woodland, prairies.

This is an open-country species, being most common in meadows, especially along streams through pastures, in the mountains. It is also found in various fields, clearcuts, thickets, woodland borders , and (less commonly) in woodland openings. (ref. 104763)

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,252 meters (0 to 10,669 feet).[3]

Biology

Diet

Caterpillar hosts: Various violet species (Viola). Adult food: Nectar from many species of flowers including milkweeds, thistles, ironweed, dogbane, mountain laurel, verbena, vetch, bergamot, red clover, joe-pye weed , and purple coneflower.

Foodplants are violets of various species. This species is commonly seen nectaring; milkweeds are favored, but Joe-pye-weed, ironweed, ninebark, and other tall herbs or shrubs are often used, especially those of moist meadows or open streamsides. (ref. 104763)

Reproduction

Males patrol open areas for females. Eggs are laid in late summer on or near host violets. Newly-hatched caterpillars do not feed , but overwinter until spring , when they eat young violet leaves.

Behavior

Flight: One brood from mid-June to mid-September.

Flight period: A single brood, but an extensive spread of dates; mid-May to mid-October, rarely later. Whether the peaks and valleys shown on the flight charts are real is not known, but there does seem to be a "burst" of flight activity for the first month of the flight period. It is suspected that some aestivation of individuals occurs in late summer and early fall . (ref. 104763)

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Speyeria

There are approximately 255 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

S. adiante · S. adiaste (Unsilvered Fritillary) · S. adiaste adiaste (Adiaste Fritillary) · S. adiaste atossa (Atossa) · S. adiaste clemencei (Clemence's Fritillary) · S. aglaja · S. aglaja(Linnaeus · S. aglaja fortuna · S. albrighti · S. alcestis · S. apacheana · S. aphrodite (Aphrodite Fritillary) · S. aphrodite alcestis (Alcestris Fritillary) · S. aphrodite aphrodite (Aphrodite Frittilary) · S. aphrodite columbia (Columbian Fritillary) · S. aphrodite cullasaja (Aphrodite Fritillary) · S. aphrodite ethne · S. aphrodite manitoba (Manitoba Fritillary) · S. aphrodite whitehousei (Aphrodite Fritillary) · S. aphrodite winni · S. arge · S. arizonensis · S. artonis · S. ashtaroth · S. astarte · S. atlantis (Atlantis Fritillary) · S. atlantis atlantis (Atlantis Fritillary) · S. atlantis canadensis · S. atlantis dodgei · S. atlantis dorothea · S. atlantis greyi · S. atlantis hollandi (Holland's Fritillary) · S. atlantis nausicaa · S. atlantis pahasapa (Atlantis Fritillary) · S. atossa · S. baal · S. bakeri · S. baroni · S. bartschi · S. beani · S. behrensii · S. benjamini · S. bernardensis · S. bischoffi · S. boharti · S. bremnerii · S. brucei · S. byblis · S. caerulescens · S. calgariana · S. californica · S. caliginosa · S. callippe (Callippe Fritillary) · S. callippe adiasteoides (Callippe Fritillary) · S. callippe calgariana (Calgary Fritillary) · S. callippe callippe (Callippe Fritillary) · S. callippe comstocki (Callippe Fritillary) · S. callippe laurina · S. callippe macaria (Callippe Fritillary) · S. callippe meadii · S. callippe nevadensis · S. callippe semivirida (Willamette Callippe Fritillary) · S. canadensis · S. carolae (Carole's Fritillary) · S. carpenterii · S. charlottii · S. chemo · S. chinoi · S. chitone · S. clemencei · S. clio · S. colombia · S. comstocki · S. conchyliatus · S. conquista · S. cornelia · S. coronis (Coronis Fritillary) · S. coronis coronis (Coronis Fritillary) · S. coronis hennei (Coronis Fritillary) · S. coronis semiramis (Coronis Fritillary) · S. coronis snyderi · S. cottlei · S. creelmani · S. cunninghami · S. cybele (Great Spangled Fritillary) · S. cybele carpenterii (Carpenter's Fritillary) · S. cybele cybele (Great Spangled Fritillary) · S. cybele eileenae (Great Spangled Fritillary) · S. cybele krautwurmi (Krautwurm's Fritillary) · S. cybele leto (Leto Fritillary) · S. cybele novascotiae · S. cybele pseudocarpenteri (Chermock's Fritillary) · S. cybele pugetensis (Puget Sound Fritillary) · S. cynna · S. cypris · S. daphnis · S. dennisi · S. diana (Diana Fritillary) · S. dodgei · S. dolli

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

• Butterflies and Moths of North America.
• Catalog of hymenoptera in America north of Mexico / prepared cooperatively by specialists on the various groups of Hymenoptera under the direction of Karl V. Krombein [et al.]. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979- ENG url p. 243, p. 2579.
• Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- ENG url p. 6.
• The Biological bulletin. Woods Hole, Mass.: Marine Biological Laboratory, ENG url p. 116.
• The University of Kansas science bulletin. [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. ENG url p. 314.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2005. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/Taxonomicon/]. Access date: Nov 23, 2005
• Butterflies of North Carolina
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 26, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 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).

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 26, 2008:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Alan Wormington Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Atlantic Forestry Centre Insect Reference Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Butterflies and Skippers of Alberta Project
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Canadian National Collection (CNC) of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Crispin S. Guppy Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Donald F. Hooper Butterfly collection, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Gerald Hilchie Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Great Lakes Forestry Centre Insect Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Jeff Ogden Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lepidopterists Society Season Summaries 1973-1997
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Lyman Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: M. Gollop Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: McMaster University Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: New Brunswick Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Norbert Kondla Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Northern Forestry Centre Arthropod Collection, Edmonton
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Subenacadie, NS, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax, NS, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Point Pelee National Park Collection, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Ross A. Layberry Observations
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum Entomology Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal Ontario Museum: Entomology
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal Saskatchewan Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Spencer Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of New Brunswick Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Saskatchewan
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: University of Western Ontario Collection
• Illinois Natural History Survey

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2603071
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-156723.0
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13689901
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: IILEPJ6020
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 171476

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=Freija&search=Search [back]
3. Mean = 310.220 meters (1,017.782 feet), Standard Deviation = 400.500 based on 999 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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