Insects · La Saladita, Guerrero

Gulf Fritillary

Dione vanillae

Spanish: Mariposa pasionaria motas blancas

The Gulf fritillary or passion butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) is a bright orange butterfly of the family Nymphalidae and subfamily Heliconiinae. That subfamily was formerly set apart as a separate family, the Heliconiidae. The Heliconiinae are "longwing butterflies", which have long, narrow wings compared to other butterflies. Gulf fritillary is the only member of genus Agraulis.

TaxonomyInsecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae

Also known asAgraulis vanillae (earlier scientific name)

Local records49 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records179,549 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2025 – 2026

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2026-03-29 — observation by rachel17202
2025-08-09 — observation by dani1212
2025-07-30 — observation by olgajudith
2025-07-30 — observation by alex_nava_hernandez
2025-06-24 — observation by mkmalik
2025-03-12 — observation by shawneen

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Insects guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/dione-vanillae/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.