Eur. J. Entomol. 100 (4): 625-626, 2003 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2003.091

The Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta, Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is a true seasonal migrant: an evolutionary puzzle resolved?

Kauri MIKKOLA
Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 17, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; e-mail: kauri.mikkola@helsinki.fi

Ornithologists in Finland recorded the autumn migration of the Red Admiral butterfly, Vanessa atalanta (L.). In the best year, 1998, 1240 migrants were counted from a bird tower in September. That is, half a million butterflies migrated over a 100-km front. The butterflies were flying above forests riding on cool northerly winds. Radar indicated that a large proportion migrated at high elevations outside the visible range. These records help to resolve an "evolutionary puzzle" of why migrant butterflies and moths travel to northern latitudes when their offspring have limited possibilities of returning south. Until now, the only butterfly for which a high-elevation return migration on northerly winds is known is the American Monarch Danaus plexippus (L.).

Keywords: Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta, Monarch, Danaus plexippus, butterflies, Lepidoptera, migrations, air currents

Received: May 13, 2003; Revised: June 25, 2003; Accepted: August 21, 2003; Published: November 20, 2003  Show citation

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MIKKOLA, K. (2003). The Red Admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta, Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is a true seasonal migrant: an evolutionary puzzle resolved? EJE, 100(4), 625-626. doi: 10.14411/eje.2003.091
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