Nickerl's fritillary Melitaea aurelia

Features

The butterfly occurs in one generation from May to early July. Adults like to stay on flowering plants, where they also often mate.

Species	Insect
Living space	Bush crowns, Meadow
Size	29-35 mm

Description

The wingspan is 28–32 mm. Dark russet-brown, so strongly marked with black that the ground-colour is reduced in the female to very small spots. On the whole similar to Melitaea athalia, but smaller, with the black markings deeper in tint and heavier, the ground-colour darker, more brownish; beneath the marginal line before the fringes is absent or but very indistinct. The species is recognizable by the palpi bearing foxy red hairs, while the palpi of athalia are whitish, being occasionally somewhat reddish yellow and then only at the base.