Carole's Fritillary - Hodges#4456.1
Speyeria carolae
This record describes Speyeria carolae (species). Recorded family: Nymphalidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Papilionoidea
- Family
- Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
- Subfamily
- Heliconiinae
- Tribe
- Argynnini
- Genus
- Speyeria (Greater Fritillaries)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
Spring Mountains, Nevada and probably adjacent California
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Some authors treat this as a distinct species, others do not. It is listed at BOA and in the Pelham Catalog as distinct, so currently appears that way at BugGuide as well. It shows very little to distinguish it from S. coronis , and seems to be the representative of that species in the Spring Mountains, where it occurs as an isolated relict population. It has been compared to similar S. zerene as well, but is less like that species in characteristics. Recent molecular studies show S. carolae as belonging within S. coronis .
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Speyeria carolae. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Carole's Fritillary - Hodges#4456.1 (2)
Photo credits: Contributed by tom murray; Additional contributions by Steve Nanz , Chuck Entz , David Ferguson