Appearance
It is orange with black spots on the upperside of its wing and has a wingspan of 38–46 mm. On the underside of the wings there is a row of silver pearly markings along the edge, which give the species its name. It is often confused with the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, but can be distinguished from it by the red chevrons along its pearl border as well as the presence of a single silver spot in the middle of a row of yellow spots. The female has both darker markings and rounder wings than the male. The caterpillars are black with white or yellow spines along their backs.
Naming
*"B. e. euphrosyne" Central Europe, Siberia⤷ "B. e. fingal" Northern Europe, Siberia
⤷ "B. e. rusalka" Southern Europe, West Siberia
⤷ "B. e. orphana" Transbaikalia, Amur, Ussuri
⤷ "B. e. kamtschadalus" Kamchatka, North Sakhalin
⤷ "B. e. umbra" Altai, Sayan
⤷ "B. e. dagestanica" Caucasus, Transcaucasia
⤷ "B. e. nephele" Urals, Siberia
Distribution
It is widespread throughout Europe, ranging from Scandinavia to northern Spain and from Ireland eastwards towards Russia and Asia. In England and Wales it has declined rapidly in number and is a highly threatened species -.Habitat
* Woodland clearings - recently coppiced or clear-felled, with bracken, or leaf litter provided by oak and bramble.⤷ Well-drained habitats with mosaics of grass, bracken, and light scrub
⤷ Hot and freshly cut material
⤷ abundant foodplants growing in short, sparse vegetation, where there is abundant dead plant material, bracken is preferred
⤷ Scrub edges - can provide good breeding conditions. E.g. gorse, which if cut rotation should maintain any violets growing in short vegetation.
Reproduction
After mating, the female will lay her eggs on dead bracken Pteridium aquilinum,or leaf litter near to violet plants - Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana, Heath Dog-violet Viola canina, Marsh Violet Viola palustris. Sometimes they are laid on the leaves of the foodplant itself. They are laid singly, not in one large group such as Marsh Fritillary. The mosaics that they prefer are typically one-third grass and two-thirds bracken.Eggs can be found on the foodplant from mid-May to the end of June. They are a pale yellow colour. They then hatch after 10–14 days.
Food
After mating, the female will lay her eggs on dead bracken Pteridium aquilinum,or leaf litter near to violet plants - Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana, Heath Dog-violet Viola canina, Marsh Violet Viola palustris. Sometimes they are laid on the leaves of the foodplant itself. They are laid singly, not in one large group such as Marsh Fritillary. The mosaics that they prefer are typically one-third grass and two-thirds bracken.Eggs can be found on the foodplant from mid-May to the end of June. They are a pale yellow colour. They then hatch after 10–14 days.
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