Argynnis (Argynnis) paphia

• Subfamily: Heliconiinae - Argynnini
• Wingspan: 53-70
• Flight period: May - Sep
• Spread: Common
• Host plants: Rasaceae, Violaceae

Information

The Argynnis paphia also called Silver-washed fritillary is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 53-70 mm. In Europe it is found practically everywhere. In Italy it is also present in the islands. *

The wings are dark orange with striped design and black dots. In the males the upper face of the wings is orange with dark lines and spots; in particular on the front wings there are four black streaks formed by androconial scales that produce pheromones. **
In females, the dark spots are larger and the front wings are less pointed. The lower face of the front wings is yellow-light brown, while that of the hind wings is greenish with silvery stripes; in the marginal part there are lilac and gray spots.
There is a form in which the orange color is very soft and fades into dull emerald green. This form is the Argynnis paphia f. valesina .

Large butterfly with a powerful and fast flight. Attendant of different environments from the plains to the mountains (up to a maximum altitude of 1800 m), it frequents warm and sunny meadows, edges and wooded clearings.

Adults flicker from May to August (one annual generation). The eggs are laid on trees, in cracks in the bark or on moss.

The mature larva is brown in color with hazelnut / yellow tubercles with black hairs. Two yellow stripes are visible on the back. Two longer, darker tubercles are visible on the first segment and look like a pair of antennae. The head is black with yellow spots. ***
The Chrysalis is brown in color with parts of silver or metallic golden color, the profile is angular and pointed, the "ventral" tips are almost always metallic in color.

The host plants are different species of Viola such as Viola canina and Viola palustris and Rosaceae such as Rubus sp ..


* Lepidoptera mundi https://lepidoptera.eu/ - Fauna Europea https://fauna-eu.org/
** Pafia, la farfalla estiva di Gianluca Ferretti - https://rivistanatura.com/
*** Bestimmungshilfe für die in Europa nachgewiesenen Schmetterlingsarten - http://lepiforum.de/