There are two flights of the butterfly in the year, one in the spring and the other in the autumn.
Females from the Continent may arrive on our east or south coasts in May, and deposit eggs from which the autumn butterflies are developed. Some of these might wander farther inland, but eggs would almost certainly be laid on the spot. The fate of the caterpillars from autumnal eggs would depend on the winter; if mild they, or at least some of them, might manage to get through and attain the butterfly state about May, but their doing so is rather doubtful.
The species is widely distributed and often common on the Continent, and its range extends to Persia, Northern Asia, and North Africa. In Eastern Asia it is represented by var. isœa.
The Pearl-bordered Fritillary (Argynnis euphrosyne).
Some authors consider the smaller Fritillaries to be generically separable from the larger kinds, and place this and the next species in the genus Brenthis, whilst the Queen of Spain is referred to the genus Issoria, Hübner. Here, however, they are retained in Argynnis.
In colour and in the marking of the upper side the Pearl-bordered is very like the High Brown, but, as will be seen from the figures, it is much smaller in size, and the ornamentation on the under side is different. There is one silvery spot at the base of the hind wings, a larger one about the middle of the wings, and a row of spots on the outer margin. The female is rather larger than the male, and darker at the bases of the wings.
Pl. 58.
Queen of Spain Fritillary.