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Fabriciana niobe / Niobe Fritillary
Niobja
Nymphalidae - Heliconiinae
Fabriciana niobe (Linnaeus, 1758). TL: Sweden.
 
1a. Fabriciana niobe, distribution map.  Historical data ;  Additional data from the 2018 update ;  New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Fabriciana niobe ♀ underside. North of Mali i Korabit, Albania (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Fabriciana niobe ♀ upperside. SRB (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
Description
♂♂
Large butterfly. Fw: 23-30 mm.
Ups: bright fulvous gc.
Upf: narrow sex-brands along v2 and v3.
Uns: orange brown gc, silvery spots (buff in forma eris)
Unh: in cell base a yellow (or buff) spot often centered with small black dot.
♀♀
Similar size.
Ups similar, without sex brands.
Uns similar.
Similar species
Life cycle
Adults: single generation from end-May to August.
Egg: overwintering.
Caterpillar: 8 weeks.
Pupa: 2 weeks.
Habitat
Fabricana niobe inhabits flowery meadows with scattered bushes, forest clearings and (sub)alpine pastures from 500 up to 1900 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement considerable, population density can be high.
Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Viola alba, V. arvensis, V. canina, V. eximia, V. hirta, V. odorata, V. reichenbachiana, V. riviniana, V. rupestris and V. tricolor.
Butterflies feed on low flowers, thistles and even on flowering trees.
Distribution
Albania: local in the mountains.
Balkan: AL - BG - BIH - GR - HR - NMK - MNE - RKS - RO - SLO - SRB
Europe: IB - IT - ALP - BAL - NWE* - UK - SCA* - EEU
Asia Minor, Near East, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.
Conservation status
Fabriciana niobe is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: LC.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.
Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps
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often slightly larger Fabriciana.
♂♂ wide sex-brands along v2-3.
small or absent yellow-buf spot in s4.
broadly ringed pd ocelli.