Vanessa atalanta
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Red admiral
ComputerHotline - Vulcain (by) (8).jpg
Dorsal view
Red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) underside 3.jpg
Ventral view
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Clade: Euarthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Vanessa
Species: V. atalanta
Binomial name
Vanessa atalanta
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
V. a. atalanta
V. a. rubria (Fruhstorfer, 1909) red admiral butterfly 1 red admiral butterfly
Synonyms
Papilio atalanta Linnaeus, 1758
Pyrameis ammiralis Godart, 1821
Pyrameis atalanta Godman & Salvin, red admiral butterfly 1882 red admiral
butterfly
Vanessa atalanta Dyar, 1903 red admiral butterfly 1 red admiral butterfly
Vanessa atalanta, the red admiral or previously, the red admirable, red admiral
butterfly 2 red admiral butterfly is a well-characterized, medium-sized
butterfly with black wings, orange bands, and white spots. It has a wingspan of
about 2 inches (5 cm). red admiral butterfly 3 red admiral butterfly It was
first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
The red admiral is widely distributed across temperate regions of North Africa,
the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. red admiral butterfly 4 red
admiral butterfly It resides in warmer areas, but migrates north in spring and
sometimes again in autumn. Typically found in moist woodlands, the red admiral
caterpillar's primary host plant is the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica); it can
also be found on the false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). red admiral butterfly
5 red admiral butterfly The adult butterfly drinks from flowering plants like
Buddleia and overripe fruit. Red admirals are territorial; females will only
mate with males that hold territory. Males with superior flight abilities are
more likely to successfully court females. It is known as an unusually
people-friendly butterfly, often landing on and using humans as perches.
Contents
1 Geographic range
2 Life cycle
2.1 Larval and pupal stages
2.2 Adult stage
3 Territoriality
4 Mating
5 Migration
6 Physiology
6.1 Vision
7 Conservation
7.1 Climate change
8 In popular culture
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
Geographic range
The red admiral is found in temperate regions of North Africa, North and Central
America, Europe, Asia, and island regions of Hawaii, and the Caribbean. red
admiral butterfly 4 red admiral butterfly
In northern Europe, it is one of the last butterflies to be seen before winter
sets in, often feeding on the flowers of ivy on sunny days. The red admiral is
also known to hibernate, red admiral butterfly 6 red admiral butterfly
re-emerging individuals showing prominently darker colors than the first brood.
The butterfly also flies on sunny winter days, especially in southern Europe.
In North America, the red admiral generally has two broods from March through
October. Most of North America must be recolonized each spring by southern
migrants, but the species over winters in south Texas.
Life cycle
Larval and pupal stages
Red admiral larvae measure approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length. Their
coloration is variable, but they are usually black with white spots and spines.
These spines persist into the pupal phase. red admiral butterfly 7 red admiral
butterfly
In laboratory tests where larvae were reared at various constant temperatures, a
difference in pupal period and coloration was found. At higher temperatures,
around 32 degrees Celsius (90 °F), the pupal period of the red admiral is 6
days. At 11 to 18 degrees Celsius (51 to 64 °F) this period increases to 18 to
50 days. At even lower temperatures around 7 degrees Celsius (45 °F), the pupal
period lasts between 47 and 82 days. The pupae are bright scarlet at high
temperatures and black with a smaller scarlet area at low temperatures. red
admiral butterfly 8 red admiral butterfly This differential coloration at
various temperatures may explain why the summer form of the red admiral is
brighter and more heavily pigmented than the winter form. red admiral butterfly
4 red admiral butterfly
The primary host plant for the red admiral is the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica),
but it can also be found on the false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). red admiral
butterfly 5 red admiral butterfly Certain plants of the families Compositae and
Cannabaceae may also be used as hosts. red admiral butterfly 9 red admiral
butterfly
Adult stage
The red admiral is identified by its striking black, orange, and white wing
pattern. On the dorsal side, its dark wings possess orange bands on the middle
of the forewings and the outer edge of the hindwings. The distal ends of the
forewings contain white spots. The ventral side of the wings are brown with
patches of red, white, and black. The hindwings have a brown marbled pattern.
The red admiral has summer and winter morphs. Summer red admirals are larger and
more pigmented than winter morphs. The wingspan ranges from 1.75 to 2.50 inches
(4.4 to 6.4 cm). red admiral butterfly 10 red admiral butterfly
Eggs
Early instar
Late instar
Chrysalis
Adult butterfly (dorsal)
Adult butterfly (ventral)
Territoriality
Male red admirals are territorial and perch during the afternoon until sunset.
Larger territories are optimal and subject to intrusion by other males more
frequently than smaller territories. Territories tend to be oval, 8–24 feet
(2.4–7.3 m) long and 13–42 feet (4.0–12.8 m) wide. Males patrol their territory
by flying around the perimeter between 7 and 30 times per hour. On average,
territory holders interact with intruders 10 to 15 times per hour. red admiral
butterfly 11 red admiral butterfly
When another male encroaches on a red admiral's territory, the resident chases
away the intruder, often in a vertical, helical path to disorient or tire out
the intruder while minimizing the horizontal distance it travels from its perch.
The red admiral immediately returns to its territory after chasing off
encroaching males. Time spent patrolling increases as number of the intruder
interactions increases. red admiral butterfly 12 red admiral butterfly
Patrolling behavior is correlated with warmer air temperatures, so males begin
patrolling early and continue later on warmer days. red admiral butterfly 11 red
admiral butterfly Overcast skies usually led to patrolling later in the day. It
is not clear whether this later start time is due to lower air temperature or a
direct effect of decreased solar radiation. Another theory is that males believe
it is earlier in the morning on cloudy days because of the reduced solar
radiation. red admiral butterfly 12 red admiral butterfly
Mating
Male red admirals court females for several hours before they begin mating.
Because of female choice, only males with territory have the opportunity to
mate. Females select males with traits that will increase the mating success of
their offspring. In order to maintain their territory, males fly around and
patrol the area 7 to 30 times per hour. Only males of exceptional flying ability
are able to chase off intruding males and successfully court females. red
admiral butterfly 13 red admiral butterfly
Vanessa atalanta on flower, Mount Dikti
Migration
Mating usually occurs in late fall or early winter following collective
migration to southern regions with a warmer climate. The red admiral's main host
plant, stinging nettle, is most abundant during this migration. Larval
development proceeds through winter and adults are first sighted in early
spring. The new generation of adults migrates north before mating, because food
is usually diminished by late spring. red admiral butterfly 14 red admiral
butterfly During migration, the red admiral flies at high altitudes where
high-speed winds carry the butterfly, requiring less energy. red admiral
butterfly 15 red admiral butterfly
Physiology
Vision
Red admirals have color vision in the 440–590 nm range of the visible spectrum
which includes indigo, blue, green, and yellow. They have compound eyes with a
transparent, crystalline structure called a rhabdom which is similar in function
to a human retina. These butterflies do not have the specific lateral filtering
pigments coating their rhabdom found in some other nymphalid butterflies that
likely evolved later. A consequence of this lack of pigment is that the red
admiral cannot differentiate between colors in the 590–640 nm range, which
includes orange and red. In species such as the monarch butterfly that express
these lateral filtering pigments, higher wavelengths of light are altered, so
they can excite the sensory photopigments. This physiological difference between
butterfly species provides insight into the evolutionary adaptation of color
vision. red admiral butterfly 16 red admiral butterfly
Conservation
Climate change
Spring temperatures in central England between 1976 and 1998 increased by 1.5
degrees Celsius and summer temperatures increased by 1 degree Celsius. Following
this 22-year period of warming, the red admiral appeared six weeks earlier in
the year. Of 35 species of butterflies studied in central England, the change in
the duration of flight period was most significant in the red admiral,
exhibiting a 39.8 day increase. These changes in migration time and length could
result in an increased abundance of red admirals and a northward range
expansion. Warmer climates could lead to an increase in time spent finding
mates, laying eggs, and collecting nectar. Conversely, more frequent droughts
associated with climate change would decrease egg survival and lead to habitat
and host plant destruction. red admiral butterfly 17 red admiral butterfly
In popular culture
The red admiral features in several works of Vladimir Nabokov: Speak, Memory
(1951), Pale Fire (1962), and King, Queen, Knave (1968). red admiral butterfly
18 red admiral butterfly
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