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Argynnis diana Cramer, 1777
Diana Fritillary
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G2G3
State Rank: S3
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Moderate Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 43
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Hardwood forests
This large fritillary is unmistakable throughout it's range. The males on the upperside are orange, like most members of the genus Speyeria, but with the basal two-thirds of the wings dark brown, and not spotted like other Speyeria (see second photo above, third photo below). The underside of the hindwing has a narrow postmedian row of silver spots and another narrow row of subterminal silver spots (see second photo below). The postmedian row of spots may be completely absent, especially in females (see last photo, below). This is unlike most of the other members of the genus that have a large number of silver spots scattered across the entire hindwing underside (see fourth photo, below). The female is patterned somewhat like the male, but is larger and black, with the orange on the upperside hindwing replaced with iridescent blue color, and the blue on the forewing is broken into rows of dots (see first photo above and second to last photo below). The ground color of the underside of the hindwing of the female is a dark brown instead of the orange-tan of the male (see first, second and last images below).
The Diana Fritillary males cannot be confused with other species in its range. The only other large fritillary butterflies with which it co-occurs in Georgia are the Great-Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele) and the Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite), but these species have no large basal dark brown patch, but instead have a mottled/spotted pattern on orange on the upperside (see third photo below), and the hindwing underside in both species has many scattered silver spots (see fourth photo below). The females of these other two species are also orange and similar to the males (and not blue and black like the Diana females).
The Diana Fritillary females are thought to have evolved the blue on black pattern in response to the similar, sympatric, chemically protected Pipevine (or Blue) Swallowtail (Battus philenor; see the last two photos below). The Pipevine Swallowtail larvae feed on Aristolochia vines and sequester some of the secondary protective phytochemicals from the vines into their own bodies for protection against predators. Female Diana Fritillaries are not thought to be chemically protected themselves and so are Batesian mimics of the Pipevine Swallowtail. There are an additional four Batesian mimics involved here: the Red-Spotted Purple Butterfly (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), female dark form Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (Papilio glaucus), female Spicebush Swallowtails (and maybe males; Papilio troilus), and female Black Swallowtails (Papilio polyxenes asterius). The males, and some females, for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail are yellow with black stripes. The males for the Spicebush Swallowtail are similar to the female, but the blue on the upperside hindwing is instead green and more extensive. The males for the Black Swallowtail have a prominent row of yellow spots across the hindwing and very little blue. The likely reason that females for several of the species, and not the males, mimic the distasteful Pipevine Swallowtail is as follows: females are more important than males from a reproductive standpoint, and females only mimicking the Pipevine Swallowtail reduces the mimic load on the model. In other words, there are only half (or less than half in the case of the Tiger Swallowtail) as many "tasty" individuals in each species that look like the model. This makes it easier to train the predators because they are more likely to encounter a dark butterfly with blue hindwings that tastes bad, namely a Pipevine Swallowtail. Males of these mimics, obviously, are therefore not protected by this relationship (with the possible exception of the Spicebush Swallowtail males). In the Red-Spotted Purple, there is not sex-limited mimicry, as both sexes are similar in appearance (though females are larger). It should be noted that some of the other species involved here might actually themselves be variably chemically protected, as some eat several different foodplants and the plants themselves may be variable in the chemicals they produce.
You will notice that, of all the species in the mimicry complex, the female Diana Fritillary is probably the easiest one to identify. It is the only species with the multiple rows of spots on the forewing upperside (see second to last photo below), and the only butterfly in the complex that lacks obvious red, orange, or yellow spots on the underside (see last photo below).
Forests and forest edges, with abundant understory violets and abundant nectar sources. Some of the favorite nectar sources include milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), particularly Butterfly Weed (A. tuberosa; see third photo below), and Joe-Pye Weeds (Eutrochium spp.). As the nectar sources are often in clearings and along roads, having these open areas is important in supporting the butterfly, perhaps as equally important as having the appropriate understory violet species (Viola sp.) for the larvae. This is particularly true considering the adult males are often out well ahead (2-3 weeks) of the females during the year, and therefore need to be able to support themselves until females are available. And the females tend to lay their eggs over a long period of time, and need to be able to support themselves during this period as well.
The caterpillars feed on (forest dwelling) violets (Viola sp.). In captivity, the larvae seem to feed on any violet species, so, at least theoretically, any species of violet occurring in the forest habitats are potential hosts (Schweitzer, et al., 2011). This would actually make sense because the adult females lay eggs in the detritus and the caterpillars overwinter, meaning the caterpillars have to find violets in the spring when it warms up and the violets emerge. It would be much more difficult to do so if they were "picky" about their choice of violets.
As indicated above, adults visit a variety of nectar sources, but in Georgia are particularly fond of Milkweed (Asclepias) species, Joepyeweeds (Eutrochium), and Ironweed (Vernonia). Additionally, adults, especially the males, will visit moist soil for water and minerals. They may even visit dung if it is available.
This butterfly has an extended single generation each year. The adult males often emerge well ahead of the females. In Georgia, the males may be seen by mid to late June, but females don't emerge until sometime in July, and often remain secretive in the woods until August. Females probably mate not long after emerging, but apparently do not lay eggs until well into August or September (Schweitzer, et al., 2011). At this point, as the females start to lay eggs, they need more resources and this is the time when you are more likely to find the females visiting nectar sources along the roads. Females do NOT search out violets to lay their eggs on, but instead lay eggs on twigs, dead leaves, and other detritus on the forest floor (Harris, 1972). The larvae hatch in the fall, but crawl under the leaves to overwinter. They will start feeding once they find emerging violets in the spring (Harris, 1972; Schweitzer, et al., 2011). I have personally seen adult females flying in mid-October, but by this time they have laid all their eggs.
The larvae are typical for Speyeria. The body is purplish black. There are transverse rows of branching spines on each body segment; these spines are orange at the base and black for most of the length, including all the branches (Harris, 1972; Schweitzer, et al., 2011). The upper part of the frons (face) is also orange. A complete description of all larval instars is available in Evans (1959).
This butterfly is easiest to find in the adult stages because the adults are out for a long period of time (I've seen males from mid-June to mid-August, and females from late-July into mid-October). This is a butterfly that is a strong flyer and so can, as indicated below, be seen flying across roads in the north central and northeastern Georgia forests (and are reasonably easily identifiable, even in flight). The adults also readily visit flowers of several species along roadsides (milkweeds, thistles, and Joe-pye weeds), and, whereas males are often active for much of the day, females are typically active later in the day, so surveys for female adults should be made on sunlit afternoons from mid-August through September.
This is largely an Appalachian and Ozark butterfly. The Appalchian part of the range is largely from Virginia and Kentucky into northern Georgia and Alabama. There are a few outlying records including one from extreme southern Ontario. The Ozark part of the range is southern Missouri, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas (Carleton and Nobles, 1996; Moran and Baldridge, 2002).
In Georgia, it is basically restricted to the northern tier of counties, with occasional strays farther south. There have been a number of sightings near and south of Newnan (2017) in Coweta and Troup counties (see BAMONA).
There actually are no immediate threats to the southern Appalachian populations. Fire is not prevalent, nor a prevalent management tool, in places where the butterfly occurs, although fire may be an issue and may even be required in some of the Ozark areas (Rudolph, et al., 2006). As previously indicated, the adults do require open areas for nectar sources (see Conservation Management Recommendations, below). However, logging/clearcutting, for development or otherwise, probably will eliminate populations for decades if not permanently (Schweitzer, et al., 2011). Spraying in the spring for Gypsy moth larvae, when larvae of Diana Fritillaries are out as well, could impact this species, but this is not currently an issue in Georgia, as this invasive moth has not become established in the state. And, practices for controlling the Gypsy moth have been modified over the years so that large areas are not being sprayed so this is probably a minor concern at best, even in the long run (Schweitzer, et al., 2011). Invasive plants, such as kudzu (which would be more immediately impactful to roadside nectar sources than understory violets, unless, as some kudzu can do, the kudzu entirely covers trees and impedes light reaching the forest floor) and garlic mustard (which would be a concern for the violets in the understory) could be an issue in the long run, though, at least for now, these invasive plants are not widespread in the north Georgia Mountains (USDA PLANTS database).
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Natural system modifications | Pollution | Residential & commercial development |
| Specific Threat | Fire & fire suppression | Air-borne pollutants | Housing & urban areas |
This butterfly is clearly variably abundant from year to year, and location to location, which is not unusual for most butterflies. In some years you may see very few, and in other years it may appear much more abundant, especially in certain locations. The classic location for this butterfly is Cooper's Creek WMA in Fannin and Union counties (and I saw females in Sept. 2020 at this location), but I personally have encountered this butterfly in many counties. There are some records from the Atlanta area and southwest into Coweta and Troup counties. This is a butterfly I have seen flying across numerous roads in the forested mountains of north central and northeastern Georgia. As such, S3 would seem to be the appropriate ranking for this butterfly in the state.
Regular forest management practices that do NOT involve extensive logging or clearcutting should actually help maintain this butterfly. However, it has been indicated that openings and pathways in the forest for adult nectar sources is important for maintaining populations of the Diana Fritillary. As such, mild thinning of the forest is potentially a useful practice (Campbell, et al., 2007) to maintain or even improve conditions for the Diana Fritillary. Opening up the canopy may even allow for more violet growth on the forest floor (Campbell, et al., 2007).
BAMONA (Butterflies and moths of North America website). Online at https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Speyeria-diana
Campbell, J. W., J. L. Hanula, and T. A. Waldrop. 2007. Observations of Speyeria diana (Diana Fritillary) utilizing forested areas in North Carolina that have been mechanically thinned and burned. Southeastern Naturalist: 6(1): 179-182.
Carleton C. E. and L. S. Nobles. 1996. Distribution of Speyeria diana (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)in the highlands of Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, with comments on conservation. Entomological News 107: 213-219.
Evans, W. H. 1959. The saga of an orphan Speyeria diana larva. Jour. of the Lepidopterists' Society 13(2): 93-95.
Harris, L., Jr. 1972. Butterflies of Georgia. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.
Moran, M. D. and C. D. Baldridge. 2002. Distribution of the Diana Fritillary, Speyeria diana (Nymphalidae) in Arkansas, with notes on nectar plant and habitat preference. Jour. of the Lepidopterists' Society 56: 162-165.
Rudolph, D. C., C. A. Ely, R. R. Schaefer, J. H. Williamson, and R. E. Thill. 2006. The Diana fritillary (Speyeria diana) and great spangled fritillary (S. cybele): Dependence on fire in the Oauchita Mountains of Arkansas. Jour. of the Lepidopterists' Society 60(4): 218-226.
Schweitzer, D. F., M. C. Minno, and D. L. Wagner. 2011. Rare, declining and poorly known butterfly and moths (Lepidoptera) of forests and woodlands in the eastern United States, pages 210-213. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
US Department of Agriculture website. PLANTS database. Online at https://plants.usda.gov/java/
James K. Adams, Professor of Biology, Dalton State College, Dalton, GA
August 1, 2020
