The marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval stage lasts for approximately seven to eight months and includes a period of diapause over the winter. The larvae are dependent on the host food plant Succisa pratensis not only for feeding but also for hibernation, because silken webs are formed on the host plant as the gregarious larvae enter hibernation. Females lay eggs in batches on the host plant and are, like other batch-layers, selective about the location of oviposition because offspring survivorship levels for batch-layers are more tied to location selection than they are for single-egg layers. As of 2019 the butterfly's global conservation status is considered of least concern, but it has faced rapid decline and is considered regionally vulnerable or endangered over much of its range.
Taxonomy E. aurinia is represented by many subspecies. The most widely accepted are:
Euphydryas aurinia aurinia central Europe, southern Europe, western Siberia Euphydryas aurinia bulgarica (Fruhstorfer, 1916) Carpathian Mountains Euphydryas aurinia laeta (Christoph, 1893) central Siberia, Altai, Sayan, Transbaikal Euphydryas aurinia beckeri (Lederer, 1853) Morocco (Middle Atlas, Rif Mountains) submarginal band of the hindwing is of a magnificent deep russet-red colour and nearly occupies the whole outer half of the wing, being outwardly bordered by black lunules centred with pale yellow Euphydryas aurinia barraguei (Betz, 1956) Algeria Euphydryas aurinia provincialis (Boisduval, 1828) (France and northern Italy) Euphydryas aurinia debilis(Oberthür, 1909) Mountainous areas like Pyrenees and Alps but the total number of described subspecies is much higher, especially in the eastern Palaearctic. The insect may be best considered a superspecies.
E.aurinia is in the subgenus Eurodryas The clade members are:
Euphydryas aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775) Euphydryas provincialis (Boisduval, 1828) Euphydryas orientalis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1851) Euphydryas asiatica (Staudinger, 1881) Euphydryas sibirica (Staudinger, 1871) Euphydryas laeta (Christoph, 1893) Euphydryas desfontainii (Godart, 1819)
Description Euphydryas aurinia has a wingspan of 30–42 millimetres (1.2–1.7 in) in males. The females are usually larger than the males, with a wingspan of 40–50 millimetres (1.6–2.0 in). These small butterflies are variable in markings and colouration, with many forms and subspecies. The adult butterflies usually show a chequered pattern of brown, orange, and yellow markings. Silver markings are present on the hindwing edge. The underside of the wings is patterned with yellow, orange, and brown without any silver colouration at all. The eggs are yellow, and easily identified because of the large batch size. The larvae are black.
Distribution and habitat This species is widespread in the Palearctic realm, from Ireland in the west to Yakutia in the east, and to north-west China and Mongolia in the south. The marsh fritillary is in decline in Europe and it is one of eleven butterflies covered by the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan. Within the British Isles, it is more frequent in the south and west, but especially in Wales where there is a stronghold.
This species lives in calcareous grassland, in woodland clearings, in damp marshy areas (hence the common name), and in heathy grassland, dominated by tussock forming grasses, including purple moor and rush pastures. In Finland, E. aurinia has been shown to favor semi-permanent grasslands and impermanent clearcuts in the forest. Young clearcuts were preferred over old clearcuts due to the dense growth of vegetation in old clearcut forests. In the United Kingdom, two types of grasslands can be inhabited by E. aurinia: damp grasslands that are either neutral or acidophilus and dry grasslands that have an abundance of plants growing in lime-rich soil (calcicolous grasslands). These butterflies can reach an elevation of 10–2,200 metres (33–7,218 ft) above sea level. In the British Isles, the marsh fritillary is usually found in damp, heathy grasslands that are called rhos pastures, from the Welsh word rhos meaning heath. Small populations can be an important element of the ecology because they produce many mobile individuals which can then found other populations. The marsh fritillary is protected under UK law, listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and the EU Habitats and Species Directive (Annex II). The Devon Wildlife Trust owns a number of sites at which it monitors this species. Examples include Stowford Moor (near Holsworthy, Devon), Dunsdon nature reserve (near Bude), Mambury Moor (near Great Torrington), Vealand Farm nature reserve (near Holsworthy), and Volehouse Nature Reserve (near Holsworthy). In 2009, population counts had significantly increased from years 2007 and 2008. In 2018, a breeding population was found in Carmarthenshire, Wales, after an absence of 50 years. In Lithuania (included into the Lithuanian Red Data Book since 2000, red list category-3 (R))(Rašomavičius, 2007) is protected insect species. Euphydryas aurinia usually is found in natural and seminatural moist or wet oligotrophic grasslands (purple moorgrass and heath rush meadows), base rich fens, mostly in Eastern, North-Western and Central Lithuania, where its main foodplant Succisa pratensis (Dipsacaceae) is abundant. Inhabited patches frequently are situated along woodland edges or surrounded by bushes. Species is not found in Southern Lithuania where sandy soils predominate and in South-Western Lithuania where agriculture is very intensive. In Croatia, it is only present in the north, and even those findings are only historical. Attempts to confirm its presence have failed, but northern Ivanščica and the Lobor valley are considered promising.
Factors for optimal habitat The availability of larval food plant S. pratensis and grass height are the most important factors in providing an optimal habitat for E. aurinia.
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