Agraulis
Agraulis vanillae
The Gulf Fritillary
Andrew V. Z. Brower and Margarita Beltrán
Introduction
The Gulf fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, is a widespread, geographically variable neotropical species that occurs from the south central U. S. to southern South America. Lamas (2004) lists a second, undescribed species in the genus from Peru.
Life History
Early stages: Eggs are yellow and approximately 1 x 0.8 mm (h x w). Females place eggs singly on leaves of the host plant. Mature larvae are approximately 1.2 cm long. Caterpillars are gregarious in small numbers (Brown, 1981).
Agraulis vanillae larva. © David Cappaert.
Agraulis vanillae larva getting ready to pupate (left, © Jerry A. Payne, USDA ARS), pupa (center, © Katja Schulz), freshly eclosed butterfly (right, © Jerry A. Payne, USDA ARS).
Agraulis occurs in scrubs and fields. Usually individuals fly rapidly. Females mate multiply, and adults roost at night in loose groups, lower than 2 m above the ground in grass blades and leaves (Brown, 1981).
Hostplant: Agraulis is polyphagous, and larvae feed primarily on plants from the subgenera Granadilla and Distephana (Passifloraceae) (Brown, 1981).
References
Boisduval J. B., Dechauffour de A. and Le Conte J. E. 1835 Histoire générale et iconographie des lépidoptères et des chenilles de l'Amérique septentrionale. Paris, Méquignon-Marvis; Crochard; Roret. (11-22): 101-196, pls. 31-65.
Brown K. S. 1981 The Biology of Heliconius and Related Genera. Annual Review of Entomology 26, 427-456.
Lamas G ed. 2004. Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Checklist: Part 4A Hesperioidea - Papiionoidea. Gainesville: Scientific Publishers/Association of Tropical Lepidoptera.
Michener CD. 1942. A review of the subspecies of Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus). Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae. Amer. Mus. Novit. 1215: 1-7.
Linnaeus C. 1758 Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synomymis, locis. Editio Decima, reformata. Holmiae, Laurentius Salvius. 1: iv + 823 + [1] pp. ([1 January]) [facsimilar reprint in Mid-Continent Lepidoptera Series 2(23), April 1971]
Title Illustrations
| Scientific Name | Agraulis vanillae |
|---|---|
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
| Life Cycle Stage | adult |
| Source | #2187046 |
| Source Collection | Bugwood Network/Forestry Images |
| Copyright | © Joseph LaForest, University of Georgia |
| Scientific Name | Agraulis vanillae |
|---|---|
| Location | Monroe County, Florida, USA |
| Specimen Condition | Live Specimen |
| Life Cycle Stage | adult |
| Source | #2131065 |
| Source Collection | Bugwood Network/Forestry Images |
| Copyright | © David Cappaert |
About This Page
Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Andrew V. Z. Brower at and Margarita Beltrán at
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Agraulis . Agraulis vanillae . The Gulf Fritillary.
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Andrew V. Z. Brower and Margarita Beltrán.
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- First online 19 February 2007
- Content changed 03 September 2008
Citing this page:
Brower, Andrew V. Z. and Margarita Beltrán. 2008. Agraulis . Agraulis vanillae . The Gulf Fritillary. Version 03 September 2008 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Agraulis_vanillae/70429/2008.09.03 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
