Atlantis fritillary

(Argynnis atlantis)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5 - Secure

S5 - Secure

Minnesota

not listed

 
Atlantis fritillary
 
Description

On the upper side of the forewing the outer margin is a solid black border from the apex almost to the inner angle. On the upper side of the hindwing the outer margin is an almost solid black border at the outer angle, becoming progressively lighter as it approaches the anal angle.

 

Size

2 to 2¾

 

Similar Species

Aphrodite fritillary (Argynnis aphrodite) black border is shorter, less black, or not present. There is an “extra” black spot at the base of the forewing below the forewing cell.

Great spangled fritillary (Argynnis cybele) is larger. The margins of both wings are orange.

Silver-bordered fritillary (Boloria selene) is smaller. There is a submarginal row of spots within the solid black border.

Habitat

 

Biology

Season

Mid-June to late August

 

Behavior

 

 

Life Cycle

 

 

Larva Hosts

Leaves of violets

 

Adult Food

Nectar of flowers, especially those in the composite (Asteraceae) family

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 21, 29, 30, 71, 75, 82, 83.

6/15/2025    
     

Occurrence

Common

Taxonomy

Order

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)

Superfamily

Papilionoidea (butterflies)

Family

Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies)

Subfamily

Heliconiinae (fritillaries and longwings)

Tribe

Argynnini (fritillaries)

Subtribe

Argynnina

Genus

Argynnis (greater firtillaries)

Subgenus

Speyeria

   

A recent analysis of the tribe Argynnini (Simonsen et al., 2006), based on previously published morphological and new mitochondrial DNA data, resulted in a reclassification of the entire tribe. The study found no reason to split the “larger fritillaries” into a large number of genera, and proposed uniting them all in the genus Argynnis. The genus Speyeria is therefore included as a subgenus. A later study of mostly North American butterflies (Zhang, et al., 2020), based on genomic sequencing, supported moving Speyeria to a subgenus of Argynnis. The move has not been universally accepted. Zhang suggests that the reasons are historic, not scientific:

Several generations of American naturalists were raised being accustomed to the name Speyeria and are less familiar with the name Argynnis, thus being resistant to abandoning Speyeria as a genus name.

   

Subordinate Taxa

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis atlantis)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis beani)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis canadensis)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis chitone)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis dennisi)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis dodgei)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis dorothea)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis electa)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis elko)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis hesperis)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis hutchinsi)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis irene)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis lais)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis lurana)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis nikias)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis pahasapa)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis tetonia)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis viola)

Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis wasatchia)

Grey’s fritillary (Argynnis atlantis greyi)

Holland’s fritillary (Argynnis atlantis hollandi)

northwestern fritillary (Argynnis atlantis schellbachi)

southern Rockies fritillary (Argynnis atlantis sorocko)

southwestern Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis nausicaa)

   

Synonyms

Argynnis chemo

Speyeria atlantis

   

Common Names

Atlantis fritillary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Atlantis fritillary  

 

     
Atlantis fritillary   Atlantis fritillary

 

Camera

Slideshows

Atlantis Fritillary (Argynnis atlantis)
Andree Reno Sanborn

Atlantis Fritillary (Argynnis atlantis)

 

slideshow

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Other Videos

Atlantis Fritillary
Damienf77's channel

About

Damienf77's channel

An Atlantis Fritillary butterfly. :)

Filmed by Damienf77:
May 26, 2011

Atlantis Fritillary (Argynnis atlantis)
AdrianB

About

Published on Jul 11, 2013

In this video, an Atlantis fritillary (Argynnis atlantis) is shown in a meadow moving from flower to flower. This video was recorded on July 3, 2013 at the very edge but inside of the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire.

Spinning Fritillary Butterfly on an Echinacea Flower
arachphotobia

About

Published on Jul 14, 2014

To get all the nectar, what I believe to be an Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly (Argynnis atlantis) spins atop an Echinacea flower, probing every crevice (0:00). Eventually, it switches to a fresh flower, spending more than a minute on each one (0:30). It's quite the workout for the proboscis (0:44). The Echinacea's spiny central disk is popular and must be shared with other insects (01:05). Eventually the Butterfly gets its fill, and flies away (01:14).

 

Camcorder

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Created: 7/14/2015

Last Updated:

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