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North American Ecology (US and Canada)

provided by North American Butterfly Knowledge Network
Speyeria aphrodite is resident to northeastern United States and much of southern Canada, with migration in southern parts of the range (Scott 1986). Habitats are dry transition to Canadian zone brushland or open woods, tall prairie. Host plants are herbaceous species restricted to genus Viola (Violaceae). Eggs are laid haphazardly near the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as unfed first-instar larvae. There is one flight each year with the approximate flight time late June-Sept. 15. (Scott 1986).
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Leslie Ries
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Leslie Ries

Conservation Status

provided by University of Alberta Museums
Not of concern in Alberta.
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Cyclicity

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One yearly flight peaking in late July to mid August.
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Distribution

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Central B.C. east to Nova Scotia and south to New Mexico and northern Georgia (Scott 1986). The northermost populations occur in the Peace River Grasslands of Alberta / BC.
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General Description

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Similar and likely to be confused with the Atlantis (S. atlantis) and Northwestern (S. hesperis) fritillaries; all three have a dark- to light brown hindwing underside "disc" (the dark, basal two-thirds of the wing). Aphrodite and Atlantis can usually be separated by habitat alone, since Atlantis prefers moist, mixed-wood forest, while aphrodite is mainly a prairie species. Where these two overlap in the southern boreal forests, Atlantis is larger with a dark chocolate-brown hindwing disc. Aphrodite differ from Northwestern males in lacking the prominent dark scaling along the dorsal forewing veins, giving Aphrodite an overall brighter orange look. Females of aphrodite and hesperis do not exhibit consistent external differences, but aphrodite females differ from all other Alberta Speyeria (except S. cybele) in having a two- rather than one-chambered bursa copulatrix (Scott 1986). The genus Speyeria presents a challenge to the beginner and experienced alike, and differences are best appreciated by comparing series of specimens.
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Habitat

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Prairie grasslands and dry, open woods in the parkland and southern boreal region.
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Life Cycle

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Egg initially cream-coloured, turning darker. Mature larva dark brown with spines and a black dorsal line (Scott 1986). Unfed, first instar larvae hibernate (Scott 1986).
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Trophic Strategy

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The eggs are laid at the base of violet plants (Viola sp.), the larval hostplant in BC (Guppy & Shepard 2001). Adults commonly visit flowers, but have not been ovserved nectaring in the Peace River Grasslands (Guppy & Shepard 2001).
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Aphrodite fritillary

provided by wikipedia EN

The Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite) is a fritillary butterfly, from North America.

This orange coloured fritillary has rows of dark dots or chevrons at the wing edges and black or brown lines more proximally.[2] The ventral sides of the wings are also orange with several rows of white dots.[3] Its wingspan is between 51 and 73 mm.[4]

Aphrodite fritillaries are sensitive to temperature [5][6] with population trajectories showing declines in response to climate warming trends.[6]

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically:[7]

  • S. a. alcestis (Edwards, 1876)
  • S. a. byblis (Barnes & Benjamin, 1926)
  • S. a. columbia (H. Edwards, 1877)
  • S. a. ethene (Hemming, 1933)
  • S. a. manitoba (F. & R. Chermock, 1940)
  • S. a. whitehousei (Gunder, 1932)
  • S. a. winni (Gunder, 1932)

Similar species

References

  1. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Speyeria aphrodite Aphrodite Fritillary". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. ^ Aphrodite Fritillary, Wisconsin Butterflies
  3. ^ Brock JP and Kaufman K. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, New York:Houghton Mifflin Co., 2003.
  4. ^ Aphrodite Fritillary, Butterflies of Canada
  5. ^ Geest, Emily A; Baum, Kristen A (2021-06-01). "Environmental Variables Influencing Five Speyeria (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Species' Potential Distributions of Suitable Habitat in the Eastern United States". Environmental Entomology. 50 (3): 633–648. doi:10.1093/ee/nvab001. ISSN 0046-225X. PMID 33561201.
  6. ^ a b Breed, Greg A.; Stichter, Sharon; Crone, Elizabeth E. (2013). "Climate-driven changes in northeastern US butterfly communities". Nature Climate Change. 3 (2): 142–145. doi:10.1038/nclimate1663. ISSN 1758-6798.
  7. ^ "Speyeria Scudder, 1872" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
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Aphrodite fritillary: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

The Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite) is a fritillary butterfly, from North America.

This orange coloured fritillary has rows of dark dots or chevrons at the wing edges and black or brown lines more proximally. The ventral sides of the wings are also orange with several rows of white dots. Its wingspan is between 51 and 73 mm.

Aphrodite fritillaries are sensitive to temperature with population trajectories showing declines in response to climate warming trends.

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