| Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Argynnis aglaja (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Dark Green Fritillary Other names: Other scientific name: Speyeria aglaja. French name: Grand Nacré Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Rhopalocera Family: Nymphalidae Subfamily: Argynninae Wingspan: 48-58 mm. Biotope: Open meadows with flowers from plain to very high altitude. Clearings and road sides. Geographic area: Morocco, Europe and temperate Asie as far as Japan. Flight time: June-August Number of generations : 1 Caterpillar: Black , covered with spines and with lateral red marks. Host plant: Violet (Viola) |
The Dark Green Fritillary is a large butterfly. The upperside of the wings is bright orange brown with black marks. The shape of the outer edge of the forewing is slightly concave. This is a possible key to differentiate from High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe) and from Niobe Fritillary (Argynnis niobe), they have a straight or convex outer edge of the forewing. The main way to identify these species is to have close look to the underside of the hindwing. The underside of the Dark Green Fritillary's hindwing is greenish with a row of silvery spots and a wide yellow submarginal band without brown spots. Females are slightly paler than males. The Dark Green Fritillary overwinters as a caterpillar. |
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The concave shape of the outer margin of the forewing enables the identification of a Dark Green Fritillary (Argynnis aglaja). A view of the underside of the hindwing is still required to avoid a possible confusion with Argynnis adippe (High Brown Fritillary) and Argynnis niobe (Niobe Fritillary). |
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A view of the underside of the hindwing is needed to avoid a possible confusion with Argynnis adippe (High Brown Fritillary) and Argynnis niobe (Niobe Fritillary). |
André Bon November 2007