Argynnis hyperbius (Linnaeus, 1763)
Laced Fritillary
 (also known as Argyreus hyperbius)
HELICONIINAE,   NYMPHALIDAE,   PAPILIONOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

This Caterpillar is probably named after the valiant warrior, son of Oenops, in the ancient Greek play "The Seven Against Thebes" by Aeschylus.

Argynnis hyperbius
(Photo: courtesy of David Johnston)

The eggs of this species are barrel-shaped, and have vertical ridges. Initially they are white, later changing to bluish-green. They are often laid singly on plants adjacent to rather than on the foodplant. The female butterflies have been observed laying their eggs on debris at the foot of a foodplant. This appears to be a response to a defence that some plants have developed against caterpillars. These plants secrete a juice in response to an egg being laid on them. The juice causes mould to grow which kills the egg.

Argynnis hyperbius
First instars
(Photo: courtesy of David Johnston)

The caterpillars are black with orange tubercles, and are covered in branched black spines.

Argynnis hyperbius
Second instar
(Photo: courtesy of David Johnston)

The caterpillars are inclined to hide by night, and but by day feed on the Australian native violets ( VIOLACEAE ) :

  • Arrowhead Violet ( Viola betonicifolia ), and
  • Trailing Violet ( Viola hederacea ).

    Argynnis hyperbius
    Last instar
    (Photo: courtesy of David Johnston)

    The pupa is spiky and orange. Some of the spikes are cream coloured. It hangs by a cremaster from a stem of a nearby plant.

    Argynnis hyperbius
    (Photo: courtesy of David Johnston)

    The adult butterflies on top are orange with black spots.

    Argynnis hyperbius
    male
    (Photo: courtesy of Stephan Shuichi Haupt)

    The female has larger black spots, creating black areas on the wingtips.

    Argynnis hyperbius
    female
    (Photo: courtesy of Muhammad Ashfaq and the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

    Underneath, both sexes are pale with dark markings The wingspan can reach 7 cms.

    Argynnis hyperbius
    male
    (Photo: courtesy of Muhammad Ashfaq and the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

    The species occurs as various subspecies with slightly differing wing colours and patterns over north east Africa and southern Asia, including :

  • Ethiopia,
  • Hong Kong,
  • India,
  • Japan,
  • Korea,
  • New Guinea,

    as well as the subspecies inconstans (Butler, 1873) in Australia where it is considered to be an endangered species, occurring locally in

  • southern Queensland, and
  • northern New South Wales.

    Argynnis hyperbius
    male, under surface
    (Photo: courtesy of David Johnston)

    Further reading :

    Michael F. Braby,
    Butterflies of Australia,
    CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 550-551.

    Johnston and Johnston,
    Life history of Argyreus hyperbius inconstans (Australian fritillary),
    Australian Entomological Magazine,
    Volume 11 (October 1984), pp. 4-5.

    Frank Jordan & Helen Schwencke,
    Create More Butterflies : a guide to 48 butterflies and their host-plants
    Earthling Enterprises, Brisbane, 2005, pp. 25, 60, 62, 63.

    Carl Linnaeus,
    Centuria Insectorum,
    Amoenitates Academicae,
    Volume 6 (1763), p. 408-409, No. 75.

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    (updated 8 October 2012, 7 November 2022)