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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
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 1999 -
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