Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly
VU

Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly

Boloria selene

UnknownLCEULCEU

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_pearl-bordered_fritillary

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary faces severe population declines across its range due to habitat fragmentation and loss of traditional woodland management practices. Intensive forestry operations have eliminated the mosaic of clearings, rides, and woodland edges that this species requires, while the abandonment of coppicing has led to canopy closure that shades out essential violet food plants. Climate change compounds these pressures by altering the timing of larval development and adult emergence, potentially disrupting synchronization with host plant availability.

Threat summary

Habitat

This butterfly inhabits woodland clearings, rides, and edges where violets grow in dappled sunlight, particularly favoring recently coppiced areas and forest margins. It requires a mosaic of open and semi-shaded areas within or adjacent to deciduous and mixed woodlands, with abundant violet species serving as larval host plants.

Other threatened species in Nymphalidae

Scarce FritillaryCR

Scarce Fritillary

Euphydryas maturna

Unknown
EN

Altopedaliodes albonotata

Unknown
Two-tailed PashaVU

Two-tailed Pasha

Charaxes jasius

Unknown
False GraylingVU

False Grayling

Arethusana arethusa

Unknown

Threatened in Åland Islands

Calidris ferrugineaVU

Calidris ferruginea

Declining
Scarce BlackneckCR

Scarce Blackneck

Lygephila craccae

Unknown
EN

knopphodeedderkopp

Walckenaeria nodosa

Unknown
EN

Dolichopus notatus

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly classified as Vulnerable?
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly is classified as Vulnerable because the population is declining and the species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future if current pressures continue. The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary faces severe population declines across its range due to habitat fragmentation and loss of traditional woodland management practices. Intensive forestry operations have eliminated the mosaic of clearings, rides, and woodland edges that this species requires, while the abandonment of coppicing has led to canopy closure that shades out essential violet food plants. Climate change compounds these pressures by altering the timing of larval development and adult emergence, potentially disrupting synchronization with host plant availability.
Where does Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly live?
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly occurs in Åland Islands, Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, and Belgium (plus 40 other countries). Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly?
The main threats to Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary Butterfly are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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