''Speyeria callippe'', the callippe fritillary, is a North American
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
butterflies
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
in the brush-footed family
Nymphalidae.
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically:
["''Speyeria'' Scudder, 1872"]
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''
*''S. c. calgariana''
(McDunnough, 1924)
*''
S. c. callippe''
Boisduval, 1852
*''
S. c. comstocki''
(Gunder, 1925) – Comstock's silverspot
*''S. c. elaine''
dos Passos & Grey, 1945
*''S. c. gallatini''
(McDunnough, 1929)
*''S. c. harmonia''
dos Passos & Grey, 1945
*''S. c. juba''
(Boisduval, 1869)
*''S. c. laura''
(Edwards, 1879)
*''S. c. laurina''
(Wright, 1905)
*''S. c. liliana''
(H. Edwards, 1877)
*''S. c. nevadensis''
(Edwards, 1870)
*''S. c. macaria''
(Edwards, 1877)
*''S. c. meadii''
(Edwards, 1872)
*''S. c. rupestris''
(Behr, 1863)
*''S. c. semivirida''
(McDunnough, 1924)
*''S. c. sierra''
dos Passos & Grey, 1945
Distribution and habitat
This species can be found in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, from Central
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
east to
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
and
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, south to southern
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, and
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. These butterflies usually inhabit sagebrush, dry woodland, edge of forests, chaparral and grassy hillsides.
[
]
Description
''Speyeria callippe'' can reach a wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
of . In these large and widespread butterflies the color of the upperside of the wings varies from tawny to bright red-brown with black evenly-spaced zigzag stripes. The entire outer contour is black-brown, divided by a row of pale lunules. The underside of the forewings is red fawn, with the same design as above, and a series of marginal silver lunules. The underside of the hindwings is brown, with about twenty-two large silvered spots and triangular silver submarginal spots with narrow brown edges.[Butterflies and Moths of North America]
/ref> In the last stage the larvae are greyish, with black and grey patches and black-orange spines.
[Thomas J. Allen, Jim P. Brock, James P. Brock, Jeffrey Glassber]
Caterpillars in the Field and Garden: A Field Guide to the Butterfly of North America
/ref>
Biology
''Speyeria callippe'' is a univoltine species. Adults fly from May to August, usually patrolling for females, which emerge before males. Eggs are laid in litter near the host plants. Unfed first-stage caterpillars overwinter until spring, when they feed on leaves of '' Viola pedunculata'', ''Viola nuttallii
''Viola nuttallii'' (Nuttall's violet or yellow prairie violet) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the violet family (''Violaceae''), and is one of the few violet species with lanceolate leaves. It is native to the western Canada and the north-c ...
'', '' Viola beckwithii'', '' Viola douglasii'' and '' Viola purpurea''.[
]
Gallery
File:Callippe Fritillary (14427744069).jpg, ''Speyeria callippe''. Upperside
File:Callippe Fritillary (14427741969).jpg, Underside
File:Callippe Fritillary (14427746549).jpg, Sideview
File: Nymphalidae - Speyeria callippe.webm, ''S. callippe'' in Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...
. Video clip
References
External links
Wild Utah
Moth Photographers Group
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7576455
Speyeria
Butterflies of North America
Butterflies described in 1852
Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Boisduval
Articles containing video clips