Fluturat e Shqipërisë
Butterflies of Albania

Sylvain Cuvelier =
Anila Paparisto =

Last update: 05.viii.2023

Speyeria aglaja / Dark Green Fritillary
Njollaperla
Nymphalidae - Heliconiinae

Speyeria aglaja (Linnaeus, 1758). TL: Sweden.

1a. Speyeria aglaja, distribution map. Historical data ; Additional data from the 2018 update ; New observations since the 2018 update.
1b. Speyeria aglaja copula. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1c. Speyeria aglaja ♂ upperside. Qorre Mt, Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)
1d. Speyeria aglaja ♂ underside. Qorre Mt., Albania (© Lulëzim Shuka)
1e. Speyeria aglaja copula. Greece (© Sylvain Cuvelier)
1f. Speyeria aglaja ♂ underside. Italy (© Sylvain Cuvelier)

Description
♂♂
Large butterfly. Fw: 24-29 mm.
Ups: bright fulvous gc.
Uph: linear sex-brands on the veins.
Unh: yellow-buff gc, conspicuous green basal suffusion, lacking postdiscal ocelli, silvery-white submarginal spots.
♀♀
Slightly larger.
Ups: paler gc.

Similar species

Fabriciana adippe Size:similar. Upf: ♂♂ wide sex-brands along v2-3. Unh: small or absent yellow-buf spot in s4. Unh: no small black dot. Unh: broadly ringed pd ocelli. Forma cleodoxa: unh buf spots replacing silvery spots. Fabriciana niobe Size:often slightly smaller Fabriciana. Upf: ♂♂ narrow sex-brands along v1-3. Unh: yellow-buff spot in cell base. Unh: often centered with small black dot. Unh: narrowly ringed pd ocelli Forma eris: unh buf spots replacing silvery spots.

Life cycle
Adults: single generation from June to August.
Egg: 14-25 days.
Caterpillar: overwintering as young larva (41-47 weeks)
Pupa: 14-25 days.

Habitat
Speyeria aglaja inhabits open flowery meadows and open forests from 500 up to 2000 m a.s.l.
Spatial requirement modest, population density can be high.

Foodplants
Caterpillars feed on Viola aetolica, V. calcarata, V. canina, V. elatior, V. hirta, V. lutea, V. odorata, V. reichenbachiana, V. riviniana, V. rupestris and V. tricolor, also mentioned is Polygonum bistorta.
Butterflies feed on a large variety of flowers.

Distribution
Albania: widespread 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, Transcaucasia, Caucasus and further east.

Conservation status
Speyeria aglaja is not endangered.
Albanian Red List: NE.
IUCN Red List, category at the Mediterranean level: LC.

Useful links
Bink 2015
Pyrgus.de
Lepiforum
Euroleps

Contact