# Mourning cloak (*Nymphalis antiopa*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/mourning-cloak  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 4.5 cm – 8.7 cm |
| Lifespan | 0.917 years – 1 year |
| Diet | Scavenger |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, shrubland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Migration | Migratory |
| On the wing | All year |
| Generations a year | Several |
| Larval food plants | Salicaceae family |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Nymphalidae
- genus: Nymphalis
- species: *Nymphalis 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*

## Common questions

### 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

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/mourning-cloak