The pearl-bordered fritillary (''Boloria euphrosyne'') is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

of the family

Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a re ...

found in Europe and through Russia across the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Si ...

to the north of Kazakhstan.

Description

The adult butterfly is orange with black spots on the upperside of its wing and has a wingspan of 38–46 mm. The underside of the wings have a row of silver-pearly markings along the edge, which give the species its name. The pearl-bordered fritillary is often confused with the

small pearl-bordered fritillary ''Boloria selene'', known in Europe as the small pearl-bordered fritillary and in North America as the silver-bordered fritillary, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found across Europe, Asia and North America, and fe ...

, but can be distinguished by the triangle along its pearl border (the small pearl-bordered has black chevrons) as well as the presence of a single silver spot in the middle of a row of yellow spots. The female has darker markings and rounder wings than the male. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larva, larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterfly, butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawfly ...

s are black with white or yellow spines along their backs. Like other species of fritillary, the males have special scent glands on their wings so that they can be recognised by females of their own species and therefore find a suitable partner.

Description in Seitz

''A. euphrosyne'' L. (= ''niobe'' Mull.) (67h). Very similar to the preceding species , especially ''selene'', but brighter red and the black markings thinner in typical specimens. Easily recognized by the hindwing beneath, which is bright brick-red at the base, not brown as in selene, the median band bearing only one silver-spot (across the apex of the cell) and the incomplete silvery band in the distal area being replaced by some yellow smears without any silvery gloss. The silvery marginal spots of the hindwing beneath are but very rarely absent. Grand collier argenté MHNT CUT 2013 3 21 Lalbenque Dos.jpg, Dorsal side Grand collier argenté MHNT CUT 2013 3 21 Lalbenque Ventre.jpg, Ventral side File:Boloria euphrosyne (5696960703).jpg, Close-up of wing scales

Distribution

The pearl-bordered fritillary is widespread throughout Europe, ranging from

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

to northern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

and from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

eastwards across the

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

and to the north of Kazakhstan. In England and Wales (plus another 10 countries) it has declined rapidly in number and is a highly threatened species.

Subspecies

*''B. e. euphrosyne'' – Central Europe, Siberia *''B. e. fingal'' ( Herbst, 1804) – Northern Europe, Siberia *''B. e. rusalka'' ( Fruhstorfer, 1909) – Southern Europe, West Siberia *''B. e. orphana'' (Fruhstorfer, 1907) – Transbaikalia, Amur, Ussuri *''B. e. kamtschadalus'' ( Seitz, 909 – Kamchatka, North Sakhalin *''B. e. umbra'' (Seitz, 909 – Altai, Sayan *''B. e. dagestanica'' (Sovinsky, 1905) – Caucasus, Transcaucasia *''B. e. nephele'' ( Herrich-Schäffer, 847 – Urals, Siberia

Lifecycle

Food plants and eggs

After mating, the female will lay her eggs on dead

bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produ ...

(''Pteridium aquilinum''), or leaf litter near to violet plants – common dog–violet ('' Viola riviniana''), heath dog–violet ('' Viola canina'') or marsh violet (''

Viola palustris ''Viola palustris'' (marsh violet, or alpine marsh violet) is a perennial forb of the genus ''Viola''. It inhabits moist meadows, marshes, and stream banks in northern parts of North America and Eurasia. The species epithet ''palustris'' is Lati ...

''). Sometimes eggs are laid on the leaves of the food plant itself. They are laid singly, not in one large group such as the

marsh fritillary The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval st ...

. The habitat mosaics they prefer are typically one–third grass and two–thirds bracken. Eggs can be found on the food plant from mid–May to the end of June. They are a pale yellow and can hatch after 10–14 days.

Caterpillar, pupa, and adult

The emerging caterpillars begin feeding immediately and will moult three times within the first 5–6 weeks. Each caterpillar will then

hibernate Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...

in a shriveled leaf at the base of the plant, usually moving to the hibernation site at the end of July. The caterpillars lose half of their body mass by the time the emerge in the following March. After a period of feeding and growth, during which it moults one last time, the caterpillar is full size and ready to pupate. The

chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

stage is formed among the leaf litter, and lasts just 10–14 days. The adult butterfly flies between late April and June, and is one of the earliest fritillaries to emerge. Adults feed on the nectar from early spring flowers such as

bugle The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

, and

lesser celandine ''Ficaria verna'' (formerly ''Ranunculus ficaria'' ), commonly known as lesser celandine or pilewort, is a low-growing, hairless perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae native to Europe and Western Asia. It has fleshy da ...

. There is a second brood during August.

Habitat

* Woodland clearings, recently coppiced or clear-felled, with

, or leaf litter provided by

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and

bramble A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inc ...

* Well-drained habitats with mosaics of grass, bracken, and light scrub * Hot and freshly cut material * Abundant food plants growing in short, sparse vegetation, where there is abundant dead plant material, bracken is preferred * Scrub edges can provide good breeding conditions, e.g.

gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are ...

Management

* A network of paths running through bracken to open the canopy, allows sunlight through to help germinate any violet food plants. This can be achieved through grazing especially during winter and early spring.

Cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

are better than

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sh ...

as their extra weight helps to trample and break up any dense standing dead stems. Also there is a risk that sheep tend to eat plants, (for example ''

Ajuga reptans ''Ajuga reptans'' is commonly known as bugle, blue bugle, bugleherb, bugleweed, carpetweed, carpet bugleweed, and common bugle, and traditionally but less commonly as St. Lawrence plant. It is an herbaceous flowering plant in the mint family Lami ...

''/bugle), that provide nectar for the adult pearl-bordered fritillary. Another way of achieving this is by cutting and bruising the bracken, a proportion of the site at a time, during May and early June. * Burning can be useful for reducing the litter of

, although follow up management is required as extra bracken growth will be stimulated as a result. This will kill a proportion of invertebrates, and therefore only burning a proportion of the site, e.g., 20% is suggested. * Spraying can be useful for reducing high densities of bracken litter, but care should be taken to not severely reduce the density and allow the grass to develop, as this will harm the breeding habitat. * Woodlands create sunny clearings and rides, but avoid using clearings that are dominated by other plants such as dog's mercury (''

Mercurialis perennis ''Mercurialis perennis'', commonly known as dog's mercury, is a poisonous woodland plant found in much of Europe as well as in Algeria, Iran, Turkey, and the Caucasus, but almost absent from Ireland, Orkney and Shetland.common bluebell ''Hyacinthoides non-scripta'' (formerly ''Endymion non-scriptus'' or ''Scilla non-scripta'') is a bulbous perennial plant, found in Atlantic areas from north-western Spain to the British Isles, and also frequently used as a garden plant. It is ...

, and vigorous grasses.

Example sites where found

* Stansted Park, West Sussex, UK *

Haldon Forest Haldon Forest is a forest located in the Haldon Hills, Devon, England. The forest consists of several different woods. Geographically, Haldon Forest is located between the towns of Chudleigh and Exminster and is south of Exeter Exeter ( ...

, Devon, UK * Lambert's Castle Hill, Dorset, UK * Hard Hills, Cornwall, UK grid ref SS 235176 *

Nash, D.W. and Hardiman, D.M. (2013). A review of the Pearl-bordered Fritillary (''Boloria euphrosyne'' L.) in Ireland. ''Ir. Nat. J.'' 32: 132 - 137.

References

External links

Butterfly Conservation Organisation descriptionUK Butterflies organisation descriptionUK BAP website

'Grounded' Devon Wildlife Trust Newsletter

by

Butterfly Conservation Butterfly Conservation (BC) is a UK-wide nonprofit environmentalist organization and charity dedicated to conserving butterflies, moths, and the environment. The charity uses its research to provide advice on how to conserve and restore butterfl ...

{{Taxonbar, from=Q127466 Boloria Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Europe Butterflies described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus