The Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly (Dione vanillae) is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. That subfamily was formerly set apart as a separate family, the Heliconiidae. The Heliconiinae are "longwing butterflies", which have long, narrow wings compared to other butterflies.
Dione vanillae is most commonly found in the southern areas of the United States, specifically in many regions of Florida and Texas.[2]
Gulf fritillaries have a chemical defense mechanism in which they release odorous chemicals in response to predator sightings. As a result, common predators learn to avoid this species.[3] Pheromones play a critical role in male-female courtship behaviors, with male gulf fritillaries emitting sex pheromones that contribute to mate choice in females.[4]
The scientific name Papilio vanillae was given to the gulf fritillary by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, based on a 1705 painting by Maria Sibylla Merian (The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam, Plate XXV), which shows the adult and caterpillar of the gulf fritillary on a vanilla orchid, Vanilla planifolia. However, it is now known that the gulf fritillary caterpillar does not use the vanilla plant.[5] The species was moved to the genus Agraulis in 1835 by Boisduval & Le Conte. A phylogenetic analysis reported in 2019 placed Agraulis as a sub-genus of Dione.[6]
^"NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Dione vanillae Gulf Fritillary". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
^Cite error: The named reference general overview 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference defensive gland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference pheromone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Shapiro, Arthur M., Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society 62(1), 2008, 58–59.
^Zhang, Jing; Cong, Qian; Shen, Jinhui; Opler, Paul A.; Grishin, Nick V. (5 November 2019). "Changes to North American butterfly names" (PDF). The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Society. 8: 5. ISSN 2643-4806.
The Gulffritillary or passion butterfly (Dione vanillae) is a bright orange butterfly in the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. That subfamily...
zebra longwing, the Gulffritillary, the crimson-patched longwing, the Julia, the Plebeian sphinx, and the variegated fritillary. In many cases its fruit...
within silk cocoon Luna moth pupa removed from cocoon Chrysalis of Gulffritillary Pupation of Aglais io Monarch butterfly chrysalis Specimen of an eclosing...
Florida's ecosystems are also home to many types of insects, including the Gulffritillary, a butterfly native to Florida grasslands. Florida's mild climate,...
Seeds Passiflora foetida is a larval host and nectar source for the Gulffritillary (Agraulis vanillae). Passiflora foetida has been mentioned as a toxic...
members of a common family. In some species, such as the great spangled fritillary, the eggs are deposited close to but not on the food plant. This most...
cuttings. This species is a host plant for the caterpillars of the Gulffritillary (Agraulis vanillae), Julia heliconian (Dryas iulia), Mexican silverspot...
cloak, Marine blue, Fiery Skipper, Funereal Duskywing, Cabbage White, GulfFritillary, and Painted Lady. The Mediterranean Garden contains species from five...
and make no attempt to describe the life cycle. For instance, the Gulffritillary is shown with a vanilla plant, an orchid from the Americas, which is...
food source for the caterpillars. Monarchs, giant swallowtails, and gulffritillary are seen fluttering through the air, feasting on the cone flowers,...
Global Information
