In this species the basic color can be very variable, and can have a wide range from orange to red and brownish-black. In our region males are almost always burning red, while the females sometimes are more darker. Although it can be distinguished from the
Lesser spotted fritillary by color, it is best to check the characters on the lower side of the wing. The dots on the edge of the hind wings are always round, while the orange belt is unbroken by the wing nervatur. We can say it inhabits most of the meadow habitats in our country, except in Vojvodina. Due to the fact that it feeds on many plant species (
Centaurea, Digitalis, Linaria, Valeriana, Veronica, Plantago, Stachys and others), the Spotted fritillary is probably the most common butterfly from the genus
Melitaea. It inhabits the whole moderate and subtropical belt of the palearctic. To the south from the Danube, there is a subspecies of
M. d. occidentalis, while in the north the nomotyped
M. d. didyma was recorded.