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Agraulis Boisduval & LeConte 1835

Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus 1758)

The Gulf Fritillary

Andrew V. Z. Brower and Margarita Beltrán
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Containing group: Heliconiini

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).

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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).

Other Names for Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus 1758)

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
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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

Page: Tree of Life Agraulis Boisduval & LeConte 1835. Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus 1758). The Gulf Fritillary. Authored by Andrew V. Z. Brower and Margarita Beltrán. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Brower, Andrew V. Z. and Margarita Beltrán. 2008. Agraulis Boisduval & LeConte 1835. Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus 1758). 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/

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