Melitaea parthenoides, the meadow fritillary, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Note that the common name meadow fritillary is also used for the North American species Boloria bellona.

Quick Facts Melitaea parthenoides, Conservation status ...

Melitaea parthenoides
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Melitaea
Species:	M. parthenoides
Binomial name
Melitaea parthenoides C. Keferstein, 1851[2]
Synonyms
Melitaea athalia var. parthenoides Keferstein, 1851 Mellicta parthenoides (Keferstein, 1851)

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It is found in south-western Europe, more specifically on the Iberian Peninsula, south-western France, parts of the Italian Alps and southern and south-western Germany and a few regions of Switzerland.

The wingspan is 28–34 mm. Upper surface very similar to Melitaea athalia, especially in pattern, but the black markings much thinner, yellowish red the prevalent colour. While in Melitaea aurelia and athalia the yellowish red spots may be said to be united to bands, parthenoides has orange bands of almost even width and traversed by thin black veins; the median band especially is very broad, the spots composing it being almost twice as long as wide, which is hardly ever the case in European athalia. The underside likewise resembles athalia in pattern, but is brighter, more variegated, the black edges of the various bands being more prominent, the colours contrasting more distinctly.^[3]

• Male
• Male underside
• Female
• Female underside

In dry, favourable climates, adults are on wing in two generations, from May to June and from August to September. At high altitudes, there is one generation from June to July. The larvae feed on Plantago species, mainly P. lanceolata.