Aetherie fritillary

The aetherie fritillary (Melitaea aetherie) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.

Aetherie fritillary
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Melitaea
Species:	M. aetherie
Binomial name
Melitaea aetherie (Hübner, 1826)
Synonyms
Melitaea aetherea (lapsus) Melitaea aetheria (lapsus) Melitaea aetheriae (lapsus)

Distribution

It is found locally in mountain areas of North Africa and very locally in southern Spain, southern Portugal, Sicily and southern Italy.

Biology

The insect flies from mid-April until the end of May with a second generation in September in Italy. The habitat is open grasslands and flowery meadows. The larvae feed on various Centaurea knapweeds. The flowers of Centaurea also attract the nectar-feeding adults.

Description

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  ♀ On the upper side, there is a discal band and a row of well separated round spots. The post discal band is very lightly marked in the male. The hind wing post discal row lacks black spots. The upper sides ground color is very uniform.

External links

• Euro Butterflies
• Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
• Melitaea aetherie (Aetherie Fritillary) - IUCN Red List