By Ellen Gass
Geographic Range
Great spangled fritillaries live in the temperate forests of Northern America. Their range includes almost all of Canada and the United States north of Georgia. (Carter, 1992)
Habitat
Great spangled fritillaries live mostly in temperate climates but can be found in extremes from the arctic to the subtropical. They can be found in both open woodlands and prairies, preferring to be in moist climates. (Carter, 1992; Struttmann, 2004)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
temperate 
.
Terrestrial Biomes:
savanna or grassland ; forest .
Physical Description
(3.58 to 3.9 in)
(2.3 to 3.98 in)
Great spangled fritillaries are relatively large butterflies with a wingspan of 5.85 to 10.1 cm and a length of 9.1 to 9.9 cm. Speyeria cybele has scalloped forewings and hindwings. The sexes are colored differently. The females of the species are paler with a dark blackish concentration on the basal half of both their forewings and hindwings. This pattern is not seen as distincly in males. Both males and females have a pale orange color on the outside of their wings. This is where their fritillary spots, black spots near the edges of the wings from whence they get their name, are found. These are black on the forewings and silver on the hindwings. Both sexes also have a pale orange underside with black spots on the forewings and broad, tan bands on the hindwings.
In their larval stage, great spangled fritillaries' caterpillars have orange spines on a black body. (Carter, 1992; Scott, 1986; Struttmann, 2004)
Some key physical features:
ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Sexual dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently.
Development
After hatching from their eggs, Speyeria cybele caterpillars overwinter and do not become active until the spring. Unlike most butterfly larvae, which molt five times, great spangled fritillary caterpillars molt six times, becoming bigger each time they molt until it they reach the final larval stage. (Carter, 1992; Scott, 1986; Struttmann, 2004)
Special features of growth:
metamorphosis .
Reproduction
During mating, males seek out females. A male will perch near a female and open and close his wings. This releases a "strong and spicy" scent from the male's scent scales. This aids in courtship due to recognition of and the female's attraction to this scent. Males are attracted to females based on size, color, and the frequency of the flapping of the female's wings. This allows the males to determine the females of their own species as well as the most attractive females of their species. The females have sensilla, chemoreceptors on the ventral surfaces of their forelegs. When looking for a place to lay her eggs, a female will land on a leaf and "drum" the leaf, which involves scraping the surface of the leaf. In doing this the chemoreceptors help the female to identify the plant. The sensilla occur in clusters of 4-12, and each pair of sensilla is located at the same place as a pair of spines. These spines are thought to scratch the leaf surface to allow the oils of the leaf to come into contact with the sensilla. The females lay their pale yellow eggs singly near food sources during their migration. These may be laid in late June and July, but the majority are laid in August or September. (Ahmad, 1983; Klots, 1951; Waldbauer, 1996)
Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (internal ); oviparous .
After laying eggs, butterflies exhibit no parental care.
Parental investment:
pre-fertilization (provisioning).
Behavior
These caterpillars, after hatching from their eggs, overwinter and do not become active until the spring. They hide under leaves during the day and eat at night.
Unlike the larvae, the adults are diurnal and stay close to food sources during the day. The brood of great spangled fritillaries migrate once from mid-June to mid-September and are most active during July and August. It is on this flight that the females lay their eggs. (Carter, 1992; Scott, 1986; Struttmann, 2004)
Key behaviors:
flies; diurnal ; nocturnal ; motile ; migratory ; hibernation .
Communication and Perception
Males use pheromones to attract females. Visual cues are also used in mate recognition. Females use chemical cues to find a suitable host plant on which to lay eggs. (Ahmad, 1983; Klots, 1951; Waldbauer, 1996)
Other communication keywords:
pheromones .
Food Habits
As mature butterflies, great spangled fritillaries, due to their large size, prefer large flowers including violets and thistles.
Similar to many other butterflies, great spangled fritillaries have chemoreceptors on the bottom surfaces of their four walking legs. These allow butterflies to find nectar with their feet. In females, these receptors are adapted to assist in reproduction.
As caterpillars, great spangled fritillaries eat the leaves of violets (Viola rotunidfolia). It does so only at night, spending the day hiding under leaves. (Ahmad, 1983; Carter, 1992; Klots, 1951)
Primary Diet:
herbivore (folivore , nectarivore ).
Plant Foods:
leaves; nectar.
Ecosystem Roles
Speyeria cybele pollinates different types of plants.
Key ways these animals impact their ecosystem:
pollinates.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Great spangled fritillaries do not have a negative effect on humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
As most butterflies do, great spangled fritillaries, while feeding on nectar, pollinate the flowers they visit. This promotes diversity by making self-fertilization less likely. This benefits humans in that it keeps these species of flowers viable and alive.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Not Evaluated.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
State of Michigan List: [link]:
No special status.
Great spangled fritillaries have an extremely large range. Some of the temperate forests and rainforests within its range are threatened, but that has not had an effect on their numbers.
Other Comments
Great spangled fritillaries are the most common fritillaries in the Eastern United States. (Struttmann, 2004)
For More Information
Find Speyeria cybele information at
Contributors
Matthew Wund (editor), University of Michigan.
Ellen Gass (author), Southwestern University.
Stephanie Fabritius (editor), Southwestern University.
