Speyeria cybele pseudocarpenteri

(Chermock, 1940)

Great Spangled Fritillary

A of the great spangled fritillary found in northern North America. are strong, fast fliers with orange and black patterned wings and distinctive silvery spots on the undersides. Research on the nominate subspecies S. cybele has demonstrated that visual perception is the primary sense used for navigation to suitable patches, with individuals capable of navigating from distances up to 60 meters to island habitats. Larvae feed on violet and overwinter before completing development in spring.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Speyeria cybele pseudocarpenteri: /ˈspaɪəriə ˈsɪbɪli ˌsjuːdoʊˌkɑːrpənˈtɛri/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Habitat

Open including meadows, pastures, and prairies. Associated with violet plants in these open areas.

Distribution

Northern North America: recorded from Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan in Canada, and Vermont in the United States.

Seasonality

emerge in early summer, with males emerging slightly before females. Females are long-lived for butterflies, often surviving into October. laid in August or September. Larvae overwinter and resume feeding in spring.

Diet

feed on nectar from a wide range of flowers including milkweeds, thistles, and ironweed. Larvae feed on violet leaves (Viola ).

Host Associations

  • Viola - larval plantfemales lay on or near clumps of violets; larvae feed on violet leaves after

Life Cycle

Females lay on or near violet plants in August or September. Eggs hatch and larvae crawl to nearby violets, hide among fallen leaves, and hibernate through winter. In spring, caterpillars emerge from hibernation, feed on fresh violet leaves, then form a chrysalis and transform into . Males emerge in early summer, followed by females. After mating in June or July, males die while females may survive until October.

Behavior

Strong and fast fliers. Visual perception is the primary sense used for navigation to patches; flash-blinded individuals show severely reduced navigation ability. are capable of navigating from release distances of at least 60 meters to suitable island habitats over water.

Ecological Role

through nectar feeding. Larval herbivore on violets.

Human Relevance

Featured on a 2014 United States Postal Service 70-cent stamp designed for greeting cards. Subject of research on butterfly navigation and visual perception.

Similar Taxa

  • Speyeria atlantisSimilar orange and black coloration; S. cybele has been distinguished by navigation studies showing S. atlantis has lower success rates at longer distances (no success at 60m, 16.7% at 50m versus 50% and 54.5% for S. cybele)
  • Speyeria callippeRelated fritillary ; S. callippe hagemani was named for researcher Chuck Hageman who studied California butterflies including Speyeria species
  • Euptoieta claudiaVariegated fritillary with similar orange and black coloration; differs in having multiple per year and being partially migratory, whereas S. cybele is resident with single generation

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Sources and further reading