Agraulis vanillae (Gulf Fritillary, Vanillefalter)

Agraulis vanillae, also called Gulf Fritillary or Vanillefalter is a butterfly from Neotropic ecozone (South America). The first description was in 1758 by Linnaeus. The wingspan is about 6.5 – 7.5 cm. This butterfly is a member of the family NYMPHALIDAE. Agraulis vanillae is orange. It has black spots. On the underside there are many silvery spots.

Photos for easy identification

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see some photos of Agraulis vanillae (Gulf Fritillary, Vanillefalter). Agraulis vanillae is a member of the family NYMPHALIDAE from Neotropic (South America).

Description

The fore wings are orange. The veins are partly black. In the middle of wing there are some black spots. It is possible that these points merge. At the wing leading edge there is a black spot with a white core.
The underside of Agraulis vanillae is multicolour. The inner half of the wing is orange. The outer half of the wing is brown. Between this areas there is a beige band. At the wing tip there are some silvery spots. In the middle of the wing there are some black spots. At the wing leading edge there are some black spots with white core.

The hind wings of Agraulis vanillae are orange. The outer edge is black and contains a chain of orange spots. Black spots can be present In the middle of the wing.
The underside is brown or beige. There are many silvery spots on the wing. One of these silvery spots looks like an eye.

The body is brown, but the underside is white.

Sex differences: None.

Distribution

Agraulis vanillae (Gulf Fritillary) is a butterfly from the Neotropic (South America). This butterfly can be found in the entire Neotropic.

This world map shows the ecozones in which this butterfly is distributed.

Larval food

Caprifoliaceae:

Lonicera caprifolium
Lonicera japonica halliana
Lonicera semenovii

Passifloraceae:

Passiflora affinis
Passiflora alata
Passiflora auriculata
Passiflora bahiensis
Passiflora caerulea
Passiflora capsularis
Passiflora cincinnata
Passiflora clathrata
Passiflora edulis
Passiflora suberosa
...

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1758 by Linnaeus. There are some subspecies.

Agraulis vanillae forbesi [Michener, 1942]
Agraulis vanillae galapagensis [Holland, 1889]
Agraulis vanillae incarnata [Riley, 1926]
Agraulis vanillae insularis [Maynard, 1889]
Agraulis vanillae lucina [C. & R. Felder, 1862]
Agraulis vanillae maculosa [Stichel, 1907]
Agraulis vanillae nigrior [Michener, 1942]

Agraulis vanillae is a migrant butterfly. You can see it in gardens or at roadsides.

Photo © by Norbert Ulmann ([email protected])

Photo © by Norbert Ulmann ([email protected])

Photo © by Norbert Ulmann ([email protected])

Here you can see some other photos of Agraulis vanillae.

Protection provisions / Red List

CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):

-no entry- (as at 23.06.2005)
EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora

-no entry- (as at 19.08.2005)
IUCN Red List of threatened species:

-no entry- (as at 2004) (see: www.redlist.org/)