''Boloria titania'', the Titania's fritillary or purple bog fritillary, is a butterfly of the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae.

Description

The adult is a small fritillary with typically chequered orange-brown upperside and a marginal row of triangles and dots. The length of the forewings is 21–23 mm. The underside has brown pearly spots and triangular markings at the edge of the hindwings.

Description in Seitz

''A. amathusia'' Esp. (= ''diana'' Hbn., ''titania'' Esp., ''dia'' major Esp.) (68e). Above similar to large specimens of '' euphrosyne''. The hindwing beneath very characteristic, being strongly variegated with purple, its distal band deeply dentate on both sides and bearing purple-brown partly pale-centred dots. In the nymotypical form the forewing beneath also shows at the distal margin pointed teeth which project far on to the disc... In the Alps. — ''bivina'' Fruhst. is the eastern European form; smaller, paler, with somewhat thinner lilac markings; darker beneath, the median band of the hindwing more uniformly yellow, not being variegated with red; from Saratow. — In ''sibirica'' Stgr. 'B. titania'' ssp. ''staudingeri'' Wnukowsky, 1929(68f) the band occupying the distal area much less deeply and more evenly indented on both sides; from the mountains of South-West Siberia. Seitz. A. in Seitz, A. ed. Band 1: Abt. 1, ''Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Tagfalter'', 1909, 379 Seiten, mit 89 kolorierten Tafeln (3470 Figuren) Boloria titania MHNT CUT 2013 3 20 PONT GERENDOINE 05 Dos.jpg, Dosal side Boloria titania MHNT CUT 2013 3 20 PONT GERENDOINE 05 Ventre.jpg, Ventral side

Distribution

This species is present in the Palearctic realmFauna Europaea
/ref> from central Europe to Siberia and the Altai. In Europe it forms small isolates in the Alps, southern Finland, Latvia, Poland, and the Balkans.

Subspecies

* ''Clossiana titania titania'' * ''Clossiana titania bivina'' (Fruhstorfer, 1908) central and southern Europe * ''Clossiana titania miyakei'' (Matsumura, 1919) Sakhalin, Amur * ''Clossiana titania staudingeri'' (Wnukowsky, 1929) southern Siberia

Biology

The butterfly flies in subalpine meadows from June to August depending on the location. The larvae feed on '' Viola'' species, '' Vaccinium uliginosum'', ''

Bistorta major ''Bistorta'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. about 40 species are accepted. It has been supported as a separate clade by molecular phylogenetic analysis. ''Bistorta'' species are native throughout much of the Northern ...

'', '' Filipendula ulmaria'' and ''

Trollius asiaticus ''Trollius asiaticus'', the Asian globeflower, is an ornamental plant of the family Ranunculaceae, which is native to Asia and Europe. This plant usually grows in wet places, especially in grasslands and forest A forest is an area of lan ...

''."''Clossiana'' Reuss, 1920"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''

Etymology

Named in the

Classical tradition The Western classical tradition is the reception of classical Greco-Roman antiquity by later cultures, especially the post-classical West, involving texts, imagery, objects, ideas, institutions, monuments, architecture, cultural artifacts, ri ...

. In Greek mythology Titanide, is a daughter of the Titans. Her sisters are Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys.

References

* Guide des papillons d'Europe et d'Afrique du Nord, Delachaux et Niestlé, Tom Tolman, Richard Lewington

External links

Butterflies of Europe

Boloria Palearctic Lepidoptera Butterflies described in 1793 {{Heliconiinae-stub