Mexican Fritillary (Euptoieta hegesia [Cramer])
Wing span: 2 9/16 - 2 15/16 inches (6.5 - 7.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of both wings with basal half unpatterned orange, and little or no contrast between basal and outer parts. Hindwing margins not angled; underside orange-brown with darker pattern.
Life history: Adults fly swiftly and erratically above low vegetation, while the sun is shining. Eggs are laid singly on host plants.
Flight: September-October in central Texas, all year in South Texas and tropics.
Caterpillar hosts: Passion-vines (Passiflora), morning glories (Convolvulaceae), and Turnera.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of Lantana, Stachytarpheta, and Turnera; occasionally dung.
Habitat: Openings, edges, fields, and weedy areas in tropical and subtropical lowlands and foothills.
Range: Resident in Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies. Strays to southern California, central Arizona, and central Texas.
Conservation: Not required for stray.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: Not reported.
References:
DeVries, P. J. 1987. The butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural history. Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 327 pages, 50 color plates. Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates. Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Bailowitz, R. A. and J. P. Brock. 1991. Butterflies of Southeastern Arizona. Tucson, Ariz.: Sonoran Arthropod Studies, Inc. Garth, J.S. 1950. Butterflies of Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon Natural History Association, Grand Canyon, Ariz. Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass. Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. Privately published, Denver, Colo. Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.