Marsh fritillary

Euphydryas aurinia
Male E. a. aurinia, Dorset
Female E. a. aurinia, Dorset
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Euphydryas
Species:	E. aurinia
Binomial name
Euphydryas aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775)
Synonyms[2]
List Papilio artemis Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 Papilio maturna Esper, 1777 Papilio lye Bergsträsser, 1780 Papilio koloswarensis Piller & Mitterpacher, 1783 Papilio matutina Thunberg, 1791 Papilio merope De Prunner, 1798 Melitaea brunnea Tutt, 1896 Melitaea ochrea Tutt, 1896 Melitaea virgata Tutt, 1896 Melitaea nana Rehfons, 1910 Melitaea turbida Gélin & Lucas, 1912 Melitaea unipuncta Kiefer, 1916 Melitaea hoffmanni Kiefer, 1916 Melitaea semifuscata Cabeau, 1919 Melitaea epimolpadia Reverdin, 1919 Melitaea didyma Heinrich, 1923 Melitaea rectiangula Cabeau, 1924 Melitaea catherini Le Charles, 1924 Melitaea perianthes Cabeau, 1926 Melitaea interligata Derenne, 1926 Melitaea gracilens Cabeau, 1927 Melitaea geminifasciata Cabeau, 1927 Melitaea transversa Cabeau, 1928 Melitaea deficiens Cabeau, 1928 Melitaea leucophana Cabeau, 1928 Melitaea frigescens Verity, 1928 Melitaea moritura Verity, 1928 Melitaea debilisprovincialis Verity, 1928 Melitaea valentini Nitsche, 1928 Melitaea semigriseis Cabeau, 1931 Melitaea tetramelana Cabeau, 1931 Melitaea semigracilens Cabeau, 1931 Melitaea melanoleuca Cabeau, 1932 Melitaea flavofasciata Hackray, 1934 Melitaea insterburgia Braun, 1937 Euphydryas albofasciata Frohawk, 1938 Euphydryas suffusa Frohawk, 1938 Melitaea infra-rectiangula Caruel, 1939 Melitaea ocellata Caruel, 1944 Melitaea arcuata Caruel, 1944 Melitaea commacula Caruel, 1944 Melitaea ligata Caruel, 1944 Melitaea splendida Mauny, 1949

The marsh fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval stage lasts for approximately seven to eight months and includes a period of hibernation over the winter. The larvae are dependent on the host food plant Succisa pratensis not only for feeding but also for hibernation, because silken webs are formed on the host plant as the gregarious larvae enter hibernation. Females lay eggs in batches on the host plant and are, like other batch-layers, selective about the location of oviposition because offspring survivorship levels for batch-layers are more tied to location selection than they are for single-egg layers.

As of 2019 the butterfly's global conservation status is considered of least concern, but it has faced rapid decline and is considered regionally vulnerable or endangered over much of its range.