Boloria chariclea

(Schneider, 1794)

Arctic fritillary, purplish fritillary

Boloria chariclea is a Holarctic in the , known as the fritillary or purplish fritillary. It inhabits cold northern environments including tundra, taiga, alpine meadows, and acid bogs. The exhibits a two-year in some , with hibernating during first and second winters. Multiple are recognized across its broad range, including the B. c. montinus isolated in the Mountains of New Hampshire for approximately 9,000 years.

Boloria chariclea rainieri by (c) 101595408250610106310, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by 101595408250610106310. Used under a CC-BY license.

Boloria chariclea by (c) Laura Gaudette, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Laura Gaudette. Used under a CC-BY license.

Boloria chariclea by no rights reserved, uploaded by Kent P. McFarland. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Boloria chariclea: /boʊˈlɔːriə ˌkærɪˈkliːə/

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Images

Habitat

Tundra, taiga, alpine meadows, stream verges, and acid bogs. In the Mountains of New Hampshire, the B. c. montinus occurs in the alpine zone at elevations between 1250 m and 1850 m, with highest in herbaceous-snowbank and broader distribution in heath-shrub-rush communities; cushion-tussock is used sparingly.

Distribution

Holarctic. Palearctic: northern Lapland, Russia, Europe, Arctic Asia, Wrangel Island, Chukotka, Kamchatka. Nearctic: Alaska, much of Canada, north Cascades (Washington), Rocky Mountains south to Utah and northern New Mexico, northern Minnesota, northern Maine, Mountains of New Hampshire.

Seasonality

from July to August depending on location. period in the Mountains occurs in July.

Diet

feed on Viola (including V. biflora in Europe), dwarf willows (Salix), and possibly Vaccinium in North America; also believed to feed on Cassiope tetragona in Europe. nectar on flowers; abundance positively associated with number of within survey area.

Host Associations

Viola biflora - larval Europe
Cassiope tetragona - larval Europe; believed
Salix - larval dwarf willows; North America
Vaccinium - larval possibly; North America

Life Cycle

laid singly underneath leaves of . Larval development takes one or two years depending on location. Newly hatched hibernate during the first winter; fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate during the second winter in two-year .

Behavior

Males along edges of bogs and in valleys to locate females. Easily alarmed by human approach. Detectability affected by weather conditions including wind speed and maximum daily temperature, as well as observer identity.

Ecological Role

; abundance positively associated with floral resources.

Similar Taxa

Boloria seleneBoth are fritillaries in the Boloria with overlapping Holarctic distributions; B. selene (small pearl-bordered fritillary) occurs in more southern and has different pattern elements.
Boloria euphrosyneSimilar fritillary ; B. euphrosyne (pearl-bordered fritillary) has distinct markings and more southern distribution in Europe.

More Details

Subspecies

Eight recognized: B. c. chariclea ( Europe), B. c. arctica (Arctic Asia, Wrangel Island, Chukotka), B. c. butleri (Arctic America, Chukotka, Kamchatka), B. c. boisduvalii (Alaska, Alberta, Labrador, Newfoundland, Minnesota, British Columbia), B. c. rainieri (Washington), B. c. grandis (North British Columbia, Ontario), B. c. montina ( Mountains, New Hampshire— glacial relict), B. c. helena (Rocky Mountains).

Conservation note

B. c. montinus is a rare restricted to approximately 1130 ha of alpine in the Presidential Range, isolated from northern for approximately 9,000 years. Point count surveys have proven effective for this in its fragmented alpine environment.