Mellicta aurelia

Mellicta aurelia, or Nickerl's fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in central Europe.

Mellicta aurelia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Mellicta
Species:	M. aurelia
Binomial name
Mellicta aurelia (Nickerl, 1850)
Synonyms[1]
Melitaea aurelia Nickerl, 1850 Melitaea dorfmeisteri Verity, 1950 Melitaea fuscissima Verity, 1950 Melitaea commacula Caruel, 1944 Melitaea ligata Caruel, 1944 Melitaea nigropunctata Caruel, 1944 Melitaea unifasciata Caruel, 1944 Melitaea subnigrescens Cleu, 1932 Melitaea cinerea Mellaerts, 1929 Melitaea pyronioides Reuss, 1921 Melitaea faivrei Le Charles, 1920 Melitaea lucasi Verity, 1920 Melitaea chappuisi Heinrich, 1917 Melitaea corythalina Rebel, 1913 Melitaea charlotta Rebel, 1912 Melitaea melanodes Lambillion, 1910 Melitaea serotina Oberthür, 1909 Melitaea corythalia Spuler, 1901 Melitaea latonigena Spuler, 1901 Melitaea navarina Spuler, 1901 Melitaea parthenie Borkhausen, 1788 Melitaea minor Esper, 1784

Description

The wingspan is 28–32 mm (1.1–1.3 in). Dark russet-brown, so strongly marked with black that the ground-colour is reduced in the female to very small spots. On the whole similar to Melitaea athalia, but smaller, with the black markings deeper in tint and heavier, the ground-colour darker, more brownish; beneath the marginal line before the fringes is absent or but very indistinct. The species is recognizable by the palpi bearing foxy red hairs, while the palpi of athalia are whitish, being occasionally somewhat reddish yellow and then only at the base.^[2]

• 
  Male
• 
  Male underside

Biology

The butterfly flies from June to August depending on the location. The larvae feed on Plantago lanceolata, Melampyrum pratense and yellow rattle.