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Euphydryas desfontainii

Spanish Fritillary

Ronda, Spain, May 2008

Catalonia, Spain, May 2007

Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006

Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006

Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006

Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006

Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006

Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006

Pyrénées Orientales, France, May 2006

Peter Rowlings

Middle Atlas, Morocco, May 1998

This is a stunningly richly coloured butterfly. The deep reds and pinks give the butterfly a nearly unique appearance, approached only by very well marked Marsh Fritillaries, E. aurinia, with which I understand it may fly. They definitive difference between these species is the presence of bold black discal and post discal transverse markings on both sides of the forewings of desfontainii.

It is apparently very local across the interior and south coast of Spain and in the mountains of north west Africa. We've only found it in a couple of colonies near Ifrane in the Middle Atlas of Morocco where it was very local but fairly common.