# Red admiral (*Vanessa atalanta*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/vanessa-atalanta  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is an insect in the family Nymphalidae and the order Lepidoptera, part of the butterflies and moths group. Its wingspan has a representative value of 5.1 cm, and sources report values from 4.5 to 5.7 cm. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Least Concern in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category. It belongs to the subfamily Nymphalinae, tribe Nymphalini and genus Vanessa, with the scientific name authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 4.5 cm – 6.6 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Scavenger |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, human_modified, 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 | Urticaceae family |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Nymphalidae
- genus: Vanessa
- species: *Vanessa atalanta* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Nymphalis atalanta*, *Papilio atalanta*, *Pyrameis aestiva*, *Pyrameis albimaculata*, *Pyrameis atalanta*, *Pyrameis bipunctata*, *Pyrameis cyanosticta*, *Pyrameis cyclops*, *Pyrameis dewalschei*, *Pyrameis eos*, *Pyrameis flava*, *Pyrameis flavescens*, *Pyrameis flavomaculata*, *Pyrameis fracta*, *Pyrameis martha*, *Pyrameis merrifieldi*, *Pyrameis merrifieldoides*, *Pyrameis millierei*, *Pyrameis ochrobrunnea*, *Pyrameis pallida*, *Pyrameis rubra*, *Pyrameis rubria*, *Pyrameis sordida*, *Pyrameis testacea*, *Pyrameis umbrosa*, *Vanessa admiralis*, *Vanessa atalanta*, *Vanessa atalanta*, *Vanessa atalanta*, *Vanessa edwardsi*, *Vanessa klemensiewiczi*, *Vanessa klymene*, *Vanessa octocyanea*

## Common questions

### How big is the red admiral?

The red admiral has a representative wingspan of 5.1 cm, with sources reporting values from 4.5 to 5.7 cm.

### Is the red admiral endangered?

No. The red admiral is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category.

### What kind of animal is the red admiral?

The red admiral is an insect in the butterflies and moths group, belonging to the order Lepidoptera and the family Nymphalidae.

### What is the scientific name of the red admiral?

The scientific name of the red admiral is Vanessa atalanta, and it is placed in the genus Vanessa.

### What family does the red admiral belong to?

The red admiral belongs to the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Nymphalinae and tribe Nymphalini.

## 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: Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/vanessa-atalanta