Page 203 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION From northern Spain across central and southern Europe;
also Russia, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, northern China, Korea,
and Japan
HABITAT Woodland clearings and scrub
HOST PLANTS Filipendula spp. and Rubus spp.
NOTE Striking caterpillar that feeds mostly on bramble species
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but increasingly rare in some areas

ADULT WINGSPAN

1⅓
–1 ⁄ in (26–40 mm)

CATERPILLAR LENGTH

1⅜ in (35 mm)
BRENTHIS DAPHNE
MARBLED FRITILLARY 201
BERGSTRÄSSER, 1780

The female Marbled Fritillary lays her ridged, conical-shaped,
yellow-brown eggs singly on leaves and sometimes the owers

of the host plants. The embryonic larvae overwinter within
the eggs and hatch the following spring. The caterpillars feed
and then complete their development quickly over just a few

weeks, before they pupate. The lea ike pupa, which has a ridge
of spikes, is found hanging under stems and twigs.

There is a single generation annually. The adult butter ies are
seen throughout the summer in warm woodland clearings and
sunny slopes at altitudes of 245–5,750 ft (75–1,750 m). The
species is declining in many areas due to loss of its scrubby
woodland habitat, which is often cleared for agriculture and
vineyards. It is one of four species within the genus Brenthis
and is frequently confused with the Lesser Marbled Fritillary
(B. ino), which is on the wing at the same time.

The Marbled Fritillary caterpillar has a pale
brown head and body with two prominent, white
dorsal stripes and a number of thin, dark brown
stripes running the length of the body. There are
rings of pale brown spikes bearing short, black
spines around each segment.
Actual size