Speyeria atlantis, the Atlantis fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae of North America. It is found from the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador to northern British Columbia, across the northern United States south as far as Colorado and West Virginia.Atlantis Fritillary, Butterflies and Moths of North America It resides as far north as James Bay. The species is listed as endangered in Connecticut."Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
Description
Its upperside is dark orange with many rows of black markings and black wing margins. Its underside is a light brown with many silvery-white spots. Wingspan ranges from .Atlantis Fritillary, Butterflies of CanadaJim P. Brock and K. Kaufman. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America, New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Life cycle The larvae are hosted by violets. Adult foods include common milkweed, mint, mountain laurel, crown vetch, burdock, boneset, ox-eye daisy, spiraea, and virgin's bower.
Threats Atlantis fritillaries are sensitive to temperature with population trajectories showing declines in response to climate warming trends.
Subspecies Listed alphabetically:"Speyeria Scudder, 1872" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms S. a. atlantis S. a. canadensis (dos Passos, 1935) S. a. chitone (Edwards, 1879) S. a. dodgei (Gunder, 1931) S. a. beani (Barnes & Benjamin, 1926) S. a. dennisi dos Passos & Grey, 1947 S. a. dorothea Moeck, 1947 S. a. electa (Edwards, 1878) S. a. elko Austin, 1983 S. a. greyi (Moeck, 1950) S. a. hesperis (Edwards, 1864) S. a. hollandi (F. & R. Chermock, 1940) S. a. hutchinsi dos Passos & Grey, 1947 S. a. irene (Boisduval, 1869) S. a. lais (Edwards, 1883) S. a. lurana dos Passos & Grey, 1945 S. a. nausicaa (Edwards, 1874) S. a. nikias (Ehrmann, 1917) S. a. schellbachi Garth, 1949 S. a. tetonia dos Passos & Grey, 1945 S. a. viola dos Passos & Grey, 1945 S. a. wasatchia dos Passos & Grey, 1945
Similar species Aphrodite fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite) Great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele) Northwestern fritillary (Speyeria hesperis)
References