Species Account for Issoria lathonia
Issoria lathonia (Linnaeus, 1758)
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Lepidoptera: butterflies: Nymphalidae
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Taxonomic group: butterflies (Lepidoptera: butterflies) - County data
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Species text
A rare migrant, certainly to the East Coast. The most recent sighting (a male and a female) occurred at the Fordham Hall Estate in August 2015 adjacent to recently disturbed ground (gas main works) with the larval host plant present (Viola sp.). Previous sightings occurred in 1995, 3 of which were coastal, but another inland at Kelvedon, suggesting that this species will continue its migratory behaviour to find suitable habitat if not found by the coast. The 1995 migration resulted in a colonisation at Minsmere, Suffolk that persisted for several years. South Coast colonisations have persisted for less time.
It is thought that migratory females can be accompanied by small groups of males (UKbutterflies - N Hulme, 2017) References
Habitats
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Interpretation of distribution maps