High Brown Fritillary
Fabriciana adippe
Fabriciana adippe, the high brown fritillary, is a large and brightly colored butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, native to Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan. It is known for being Great Britain's most threatened butterfly and is listed as a vulnerable species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_brown_fritillary
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Nymphalidae
Genus
Fabriciana
High Brown Fritillary belongs to the family Nymphalidae, order Lepidoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
Fabriciana adippe, the high brown fritillary, is a large and brightly colored butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, native to Europe and across the Palearctic to Japan. It is known for being Great Britain's most threatened butterfly and is listed as a vulnerable species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Like other fritillaries it is dependent on warm climates with violet-rich flora.
The High Brown Fritillary has experienced severe population declines across its range due to habitat loss and degradation, particularly the loss of traditional woodland management practices that maintained the warm, sheltered clearings this species requires. Climate change and habitat fragmentation have further reduced suitable breeding sites, while the abandonment of coppicing and other woodland management has led to increased canopy closure that eliminates the sun-dappled conditions needed by both the butterfly and its violet host plants.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
This butterfly has many subspecies that span across Europe and throughout Asia and Africa, given that there are temperate temperatures in those regions. Northern Europe has seen a severe decline in fritillary population but it is still relatively abundant in other parts of Europe. As of 2015, the high brown fritillary was the most threatened British butterfly species. Populations remain in four...
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
The High Brown Fritillary has experienced severe population declines across its range due to habitat loss and degradation, particularly the loss of traditional woodland management practices that maintained the warm, sheltered clearings this species requires. Climate change and habitat fragmentation have further reduced suitable breeding sites, while the abandonment of coppicing and other woodland management has led to increased canopy closure that eliminates the sun-dappled conditions needed by both the butterfly and its violet host plants.
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat loss and degradation
Loss of traditional woodland management practices
Succession leading to canopy closure
Climate change
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). High Brown Fritillary (Fabriciana adippe). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/high-brown-fritillary