Mourning cloak
Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)
LCLeast Concernbutterflies and moths
The mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, belonging to the order Lepidoptera and the family Nymphalidae. Its wingspan has a representative value of 6.2 cm, with our sources reporting values from 4.5 cm to 7.9 cm.
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Quick facts about the mourning cloak
The IUCN Red List assesses the mourning cloak globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category. Other English names for this species include Camberwell beauty, Spiny elm caterpillar and Mourningcloak butterfly.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 4.5 cm – 7.9 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 0.917 years – 1 yearsrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the mourning cloak?
Photos of the mourning cloak
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the mourning cloak live?
Not recorded
What is the mourning cloak?
Nymphalis antiopa, known as the mourning cloak in North America and the Camberwell beauty in Britain, is a large butterfly native to Eurasia and North America. The immature form of this species is sometimes known as the spiny elm caterpillar. Other older names for this species include grand surprise and white petticoat. A powerful flier, this species is sometimes found in areas far from its usual range during migration.
These butterflies have a lifespan of 11 to 12 months, one of the longest lifespans for any butterfly. It is the state insect of the U.S. state of Montana, adopted in 2001.
From the Wikipedia article “Nymphalis antiopa” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nymphalis_antiopa&oldid=1360699946), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the mourning cloak endangered?
The mourning cloak is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the mourning cloak classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classInsecta
- orderLepidoptera
- familyNymphalidae
- genusNymphalis
- SpeciesNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Aglais antiopa, Euvanessa antiopa, Euvanessa chlapowskia, Euvanessa intermedia, Nymphalis grandis, Nymphalis grisescens, Nymphalis longomaculata, Nymphalis obscura, Nymphalis violescens, Nymphalis virescens, Papilio antiopa, Vanessa albomarginata, Vanessa angustata, Vanessa antiopa, Vanessa artemis, Vanessa dorfmeisteri, Vanessa emma, Vanessa epione, Vanessa escheri, Vanessa flavomaculata, Vanessa hippolyta, Vanessa hygiaea, Vanessa hyperborea, Vanessa lintneri, Vanessa nana, Vanessa obscura, Vanessa ochraceoguttata, Vanessa pompadour, Vanessa roederi, Vanessa thomsonii, Vanessa ziegleri
Other names and names in other languages (45)
- Camberwell beautyEnglish
- Camberwell beautyEnglish
- Camberwell beautyEnglish
- Mourningcloak butterflyEnglish
- Spiny elm caterpillarEnglish
- antiopeAsturian
- ЖалобніцаBelarusian
- ТраурницаBulgarian
- Vellutada del salzeCatalan
- babočka osikováCzech
- Mantell AlarusWelsh
- Mentyll GalarusWelsh
- SørgekåbeDanish
- Sørge-takvingeDanish
- SørgekappeDanish
- TrauermantelGerman
- AntíopeSpanish
- Mariposa Velo de DueloSpanish
- leinaliblikasEstonian
- suruvaippaFinnish
- RandarfirvaldurFaroese
- morioFrench
- chenille épineuse de l'ormeFrench
- Mrtvački plaštCroatian
- GyászlepkeHungarian
- sorgarfiðrildiIcelandic
- Vanessa antiopaItalian
- キベリタテハJapanese
- 신선나비Korean
- ŠeirysLithuanian
- Bērzu raibenisLatvian
- sørgekåpeNorwegian Bokmål
- RouwmantelDutch
- sørgjekåpeNorwegian Nynorsk
- Rusałka żałobnikPolish
- AntiopaPortuguese
- fiskesholbNorthern Sami
- fiskesholbiNorthern Sami
- babôčka osikováSlovak
- PogrebecSlovenian
- sorgmantelSwedish
- Sarı Bandlı KadifeTurkish
- Сонцевик жалібницяUkrainian
- 黃緣蛺蝶Chinese
- 黄缘蛱蝶Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the mourning cloak
Other species in the same genus Nymphalis.
Large tortoiseshell
Nymphalis polychloros
Scarce tortoiseshell
Nymphalis xanthomelas
California tortoiseshell
Nymphalis californica
CompareMourning cloak vs Large tortoiseshellMourning cloak vs Scarce tortoiseshellMourning cloak vs California tortoiseshellMourning cloak vs Nymphalis comma
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the mourning cloak?
The mourning cloak is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera and the family Nymphalidae.
What is the scientific name of the mourning cloak?
The scientific name of the mourning cloak is Nymphalis antiopa, placed in the genus Nymphalis.
Who named the mourning cloak and when?
The species name is credited as (Linnaeus, 1758).
How big is the mourning cloak's wingspan?
The mourning cloak has a representative wingspan of 6.2 cm. Our sources report wingspans from 4.5 cm to 7.9 cm.
Is the mourning cloak endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
What are other names for the mourning cloak?
The mourning cloak is also called Camberwell beauty, Spiny elm caterpillar and Mourningcloak butterfly.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/mourning-cloak
“Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/mourning-cloak.
@misc{mourning_cloak_2026,
title = {Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/mourning-cloak},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}