''Euphydryas desfontainii'', the Spanish fritillary, is a species of

butterfly 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 family Nymphalidae. It is found in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

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") , i ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

(the Rif mountains and Middle Atlas) and western

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

Description

The

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 ...

is 40–45 mm. In ''desfontainii'' Godt. (= ''desfontainesi'' Bdv.), which was separated as a distinct species, because it occurs in the same districts as '' iberica'', the proximal edge of the submarginal band of the forewing is very strongly flexuose, the distal margin bears small light rings or lunules placed in dark hastate spots; the submarginal band is almost so broad as in ''iberica'' and contrasts strongly with the light yellow discal band which stands at its proximal side and is broadly bordered with deep black. In ''baetica'' Rbr. from Andalusia, the submarginal band is so broad that it occupies the external third of the forewing and almost the outer half of the hindwing. Euphydryas desfontainii MHNT CUT 2013 3 25 Sournia Dorsal.jpg, ''Euphydryas desfontainii desfontainii'' ♂ Euphydryas desfontainii MHNT CUT 2013 3 25 Sournia Ventral.jpg, ''Euphydryas desfontainii desfontainii'' ♂ △ (MHNT) Euphydryas desfontainii beatica - Trend Catalogne Espagne - male dorsal.jpg, ''Euphydryas desfontainii beatica'' ♂ (MHNT) Euphydryas desfontainii beatica - Trend Catalogne Espagne - male ventral.jpg, ''Euphydryas desfontainii beatica''♂ △ (MHNT) Euphydryas desfontainii beatica - Trend Catalogne Espagne - female dorsal.jpg, ''Euphydryas desfontainii beatica'' ♀ (MHNT) Euphydryas desfontainii beatica - Trend Catalogne Espagne - female ventral.jpg, ''Euphydryas desfontainii beatica'' ♀ △

Biology

Adults are on wing from April to June in one generation per year. The larvae feed on ''

Dipsacus ''Dipsacus'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. The members of this genus are known as teasel, teazel or teazle. The genus includes about 15 species of tall herbaceous biennial plants (rarely short-lived perennial plants ...

'', '' Scabiosa'', ''

Cephalaria ''Cephalaria'' is a genus of about 65 species of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to southern Europe, western and central Asia, and northern and southern Africa. They are annual or perennial herbaceous plants growing to 0.8� ...

'' and '' Knautia'' species (including ''

Knautia arvensis ''Knautia arvensis'', commonly known as field scabious, is a herbaceous perennial species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. Description It is a perennial plant that grows between . It prefers grassy places and dry ...

'').Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
/ref> The species overwinters in the larval stage. Pupation takes place in spring.

Subspecies

*''Euphydryas desfontainii desfontainii'' (Morocco and Algeria) *''Euphydryas desfontainii baetica'' (Rambur, 1858) (Europe) *''Euphydryas desfontainii boumalnei'' Weiss 2000 *''Euphydryas desfontainii gibrati'' (Oberthür, 1922)

Taxonomy

''E. desfontainii'' is in the subgenus ''Eurodryas'' The

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

members are: * ''

Euphydryas aurinia 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 s ...

'' (Rottemburg, 1775) * ''

Euphydryas provincialis 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 s ...

'' (Boisduval, 1828) * ''

Euphydryas orientalis ''Euphydryas orientalis'' is a small butterfly found in the Palearctic that belongs to the browns family. Description Difficult to distinguish from some ''aurinia'' forms.Tusov treats ''orientalis'' as a subspecies of ''Arinia'' Seitz- ''orie ...

'' (Herrich-Schäffer, 1851) * ''

Euphydryas asiatica ''Euphydryas asiatica'' is a small butterfly found in the Palearctic that belongs to the browns family. Subspecies *''E. a. asiatica'' Turkestan, Tarbagatai, Saur, Dzhungarsky Alatau *''E. a. alexandrina'' (Staudinger, 1887) Tian-Shan *''E. a. ...

'' (Staudinger, 1881) * ''

Euphydryas sibirica ''Euphydryas sibirica'' is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in north-eastern Asia, where it is found in steppe or steppe-like meadows. Adults are on wing from June to July. The larvae of subspecies ''eothena'' feed on '' Sca ...

'' (Staudinger, 1871) * ''

Euphydryas laeta ''Euphydryas'' is a genus of 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 t ...

'' (Christoph, 1893) * ''

Euphydryas desfontainii ''Euphydryas desfontainii'', the Spanish fritillary, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in France, Portugal, Spain, Morocco (the Rif mountains and Middle Atlas) and western Algeria in North Africa. Description The ...

'' (Godart, 1819)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3012878 desfontainii Butterflies of Africa Butterflies of Europe Butterflies described in 1819 Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Godart