The Butterflies of the World Foundation

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Agraulis vanillae, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 12 August 2008                                                                                Ref #:  I-399-12

Gulf Fritillary

Agraulis vanillae, Linnaeus, 1758

Subfamily Heliconiinae

Tribe Heliconiini

Taxonomy

The family Nymphalidae is the largest butterfly family and includes about 6,000 species which are further divided up into 12 subfamilies.  The common name for the family is the Brushfoots or Brushfooted Butterflies.  This strange name is because the first pair of legs are significantly reduced, sometimes to mere stubs, and look like little brushes.  Some of the most common and well known species are in this group such as the Monarch, Red Admiral, Blue Morpho and Painted Lady.  Some of the longest lived butterflies are in this family with some species living over 10 months as adults.  The Brushfoots are distributed worldwide, with the highest diversity found in the tropics.  With this variety, there is also quite a difference in behavior, adult food choices and habitat preference from species to species.

Agraulis vanillae, captured by Whitebanded Crab Spider, Misumenoides formosipes, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 19 September 2005

                                                    Ref #:  SP-165-9.2

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Agraulis vanillae, larva on passionvine, Passiflora sp., Cypress Gardens, Berkeley County, South Carolina, 2 August 2008                                                          Ref #:  I-398-1

Agraulis vanillae, captured by Whitebanded Crab Spider, Misumenoides formosipes, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 19 September 2005

                                                                                          Ref #:  SP-165-15.2

Agraulis vanillae, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 29 August 2009                                                                                 Ref #:  I-429-12

Agraulis vanillae, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 2 October 2005                                                                               Ref #:  I-328-20

Agraulis vanillae, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 28 August 2010                                                                                  Ref #:  I-457-4

Agraulis vanillae, Pontotoc Ridge Preserve, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, 25 September 2010                                                                                          Ref #:  I-458-5.3

Agraulis vanillae, captured by Whitebanded Crab Spider, Misumenoides formosipes, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 19 September 2005

                                                   Ref #:  SP-165-4.1

General Information:

Agraulis vanillae belongs to the subfamily Heliconiinae.  This species has a large range and is found from South America north through Central America, Mexico and the West Indies to the southern United States.  It tolerates human encroachment and can be found in various open habitats including pastures, open fields, second-growth subtropical forest and edges, even city gardens.

Lifecycle:

The larval food source are various species of passionvine, Passiflora sp.  Males patrol for females who lay eggs on many parts of the host plant.  Caterpillars feed on most parts of the plant.  Adults overwinter in the warmer areas.

Agraulis vanillae, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 21 September 2005                                                                             Ref #:  I-315-8

Agraulis vanillae, Pontotoc Ridge Preserve, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, 19 May 2012

                                                                                              Ref #:  I-518-8.4