Vanessa vulcanica (Godart, 1819)

Host plants:
The larvae develop on Urtica, especially Urtica morifolia, more rarely also Urtica urens, Urtica membranacea and others.

Habitat:
Vanessa vulcanica inhabits especially laurel forests, and frequents mostly bright, shrubby forms with a lot of Erica arborea and Myrica faya, where the semi-shrubby host plant (up to 2m high) is found in the sparse undergrowth. The imago also occurs in gardens and barrancos (ravines) down to the coast, often far below the laurel forests used for reproduction. On Madeira, I found larvae also near the coast.

Life cycle:
The adults can be found all year round and reproduce as a matter of principle all around the year. But there are main reproduction periods (especially in spring). I found a few butterflies in late December 2005 in La Gomera. Most adults appear to undergo longer rest periods in winter (photoperiod, temperature?) at least in higher altitudes. Much more common, almost ubiquitous, the adults were observed then in mid March 2006 and alos late February 2013. At that time, the main breeding season had just started. I observed very often eggs and young caterpillars at only partly shady places (not at full shade in high-growing forest). The eggs had mostly been attached to the upper leaf surface at a burn hair on the tip of the shoots. Presumably, the resulting adults are then likely to emerge from April/May and probably form a further generation before next winter.

Although the mild canary winter would allow at least in the lower altitudes a reproduction without problems, it apparently takes place only in a relatively small extent. In December 2009 and 2011, however, I found at sunny spots several young caterpillars, but all other controlled nettles were vacant and there have been relatively few butterflies sighted, too. The host plant also has often a dormant phase in late autumn and early winter and is often poor-leaved then. It thrives out again in January after falls of rain and is suitable for oviposition most often not before February. It seems as if in the winter mostly plants in full sun are used for oviposition and in the spring (main reproduction period) and summer rather half- to perhaps also full shady plants.

Endangerment factors:
Vanessa vulcanica is endangered due to the decline of the laurel forests and exuberant tourism (e.g. Tenerife). In La Gomera, Vanessa vulcanica is probably less vulnerable through the National Park designation of most of the laurel forests and still quite common, even if the fire of August, 2012 has destroyed (temporarily?) parts of the habitat.

Remarks:
Vanessa vulcanica is found mainly on the western Canary Islands and Madeira. Vanessa vulcanica is rare in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. In February 2011, I observed a caterpillar on Urtica urens on Pico de la Zarza (Jandia, Fuerteventura) in about 800m above sea level.

From India to Japan, there is a very closely related species: Vanessa indica. Vanessa vulcanica was long treated as a subspecies of that.