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BugGuide Gathering
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July 10-12, 2009
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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies (excluding skippers) (Papilionoidea) » Brushfooted Butterflies (Nymphalidae) » Heliconians and Fritillaries (Heliconiinae) » Euptoieta » Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)
Photo#331593
assuming Variegated Fritillary caterpillar - Euptoieta claudia
Copyright © 2009 AmyTaracido

assuming Variegated Fritillary caterpillar - Euptoieta claudia
Coal Center, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA
September 9, 2009
I'm 99% sure of this ID, but looking at the other guide pics of this caterpillar, my specimen's white ovals seem to be much more widely-separated/smattered from each other, rather than closer together like the others where they form the appearance of a white "line". My pic also shows off the black raised "buttons" pretty nicely. Much to my amazement (and chagrin) I have never seen an adult of this species in my yard before, and now I find a caterpillar of one! Now that I look closely, the violet leaf that it was crawling over is partially eaten. (I found this guy on the ground when I was moving trash bins in the grass and it started scrambling away from the area)
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Contributed by AmyTaracido on 11 September, 2009 - 9:53am
Last updated 12 September, 2009 - 7:48pm

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Thanks David!
… Ron M., 12 September, 2009 - 7:48pm login or register to post comments

Both IS
Long pair of spines, horns, antler's, whatever you call them on the prothorax (just back of the head) and bright orange and black with white coloring are characters that make this one hard to get wrong. Others in Heliconiinae may be brightly colored (Gulf Fritillary for instance), or have the long pair of spines behind the head, but as far as I know, not both together (at least not in North America). Gulf Fritillaries have the spines, but they aren't long, and they have a long pair ON the head.

This looks like it's eating a Violet (they also use Passion Vine, Flax, and some others). I don't know of Gulf Fritillaries using Violet.
… David J. Ferguson, 12 September, 2009 - 5:56pm login or register to post comments

Either you is...
...or mine isn't :)

… Ron M., 11 September, 2009 - 10:40am login or register to post comments

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