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Home , Anaea andria, Apaturinae, Asterocampa, Asterocampa celtis, Asterocampa clyton, Euptoieta

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Volume 24 Article 28

1970 of Arkansas E. Phil Rouse University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

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Recommended Citation Rouse, E. Phil (1970) "Butterflies of Arkansas Family Nymphalidae," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 24 , Article 28. Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol24/iss1/28

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The Butterflies of Arkansas Family Nymphalidae E. Phil Rouse, Entomology Department University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701

The members of the family Nymphalidae vary in SUBFAMILY color from orange marked with black to shades of blue and purple. They can usually be separated from other antiopa (Linnaeus). Mourning Cloak families by the greatly reduced front legs; the cubitus interrogationis (Fabricius). Question mark appearing three-branched; and the presence of scales on (Harirs). Hop merchant or comma the definitely clubbed antennae. (Cramer). Gray comma Families likely to be confused with the Nymphalidae SUBFAMILY MELITAEINAE are Libytheidae, Danaidae, , and Satyridae. These families can be distinguished by the following characters. (Tritanassa) texana (Edwards). Texan crescent Libytheidae extremely long palpi, longer The have than Phyciodes (Phyciodes) tharos (Drury). the thorax and extending forward. The Danaidae have scaleless antennae. The Pieridae have well developed Phyciodes (Phyciodes) gorgone (Hubner). Phaon cres- front legs with bifid claws. The Satyridae have the base cent of the wing veins greatly swollen. () nycteis Doubleday. Silver checker- spot The larvae of the family Nymphalidae do not Melitaea (Microtia) ismeria Boisduval & LeConte. Ismeria fleshy filaments although many have branching spines. checkerspot The pupae have many projections and hang unsupported phaeton (Drury). The Baltimore from the cremaster attached to hidden surfaces. SUBFAMILY ARGYNNINAE For clarity a phylogenetic list according to Dos Passos of the Nymphalidae in Arkansas follows. (Semnopsyche) cybele (Fabricius). Great span- gled fritillary SUBFAMILY EuptoJeta claudia (Cramer). Variegated fritillary Scudder. Goat weed SUBFAMILY SUBFAMILY Agraulis vinillae (Linnaeus). (Boisduval & LeConte). Hackberry butterfly KEY TO THE GENERA AND Asterocampa (Boisduval LeConte). Tawny em- clyton & OF THE NYMPHALIDAE peror OF ARKANSAS 1. Distal margin of the front wing straight or con- SUBFAMILY vex, wing tip rounded 2 (Limenitis) astyanax (Fabricius). Redspotted purple b. Distal margin of the front wing deeply concave or deeply emarginate usually with a ragged Limenitis (Limenitis) archippus (Cramer). appearance 7 SUBFAMILY VANESSINAE 2. Large wing spread 3.3 to 3.7 inches. Yellow- brown background above with black marking. atalanta (Linnaeus). Red admiral Six dark round spots in apical third of the Vanessa virginiensis (Drury). American painted lady front wing. No round spots near base (Linnaeus). Painted lady Speyeria cybele (Fabricius) coenia (Hubner). The buckeye b. Small to medium wing spread, 1 to 2 inches 3 Published with the approval of the Director, Agri- 3. a. Background black above checkered with white cultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas. and orange-brown spots. Bluntly pointed front

XXIV, 76 Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. 1970 Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1970 76 Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28

wing with distal margin straight. Wing spread b. Never black with an orange bar across the 2 inches Euphydryas phaeton (Drury) front wing. Background color variable .... 12 b. Checkered with orange-bronw and brown 12. Very dark brown to black above with orange above. Wing-spread 1 to IV2 inches 4 mottling basically. One deep emargination in front wing with the tip rounded. Wing spread Darkly checkered with orange-brown and brown 4. IV2 inches Phyciodes texana (Edwards) above with a narrow medial band of white ex- tending from the leading edge to the posterior b. Never very dark orange above overlaid with edge of the front wing .... Phyciodes gorgone orange-brown markings; anterior wing margins (Edwards) ragged 13 b Medial light band in front wing above, never 13. Silver dot following a silver comma forming white, usually orange-brown 5 the question mark on the underside of the hind wing. Wing spread 2% to 2% inches .... 5. Orange-brown medial band in front wing less Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius) than y8 inch wide. Heavily mottled basically with orange-brown on a dark background b. Silver mark on underside of hind wing comma- Phycoiodes tharos (Drury) shaped without a silver dot. Wing spread 1% to 2 inches 14 b. Orange-brown medial band in front wing above over % inch wide 6 14. a. Underside of wings mottled with brown Polygonia comma (Harris) 6. Submarginal row of black dots in hind wing above has at least one with a white center b. Underside of wings mottled with gray Melitaea nycteis Doubleday Polygonia progne (Cramer) b. Submarginal row of dots in hind wing without 15. a. Background color above dark blue anteriorly white centers fading into pale blue on the posterior half of Melitaea ismeria (Boisduval & LeConte) the hind wing. Red spots on the underside of the front wing show through, marking the wing 7. Front wing more than twice as long as wide, above with faint red spots. Wing spread 2 l/2 wing tip bluntly rounded, orange-brown above to 3 inches Limenitis astyanax (Fabricius) marked with black, and with three dark spots .... with white centers near the anterior margin b. Color variable, but never dark blue fading into basically Agraulis vinillae (Linnaeus) pale blue on the hind wing 16 b. Length of front wing less than twice its width 16. a. A black band medial across the veins of the 8 hind wing. Background color orange-brown with the distal margins black with white spots a. Front wing falcate, reddish-orange above mar- Limenitis archippus (Drury) gined with black distally; short tails on the hind wing Anaea andria (Scudder) b. Without a narrow black band above on the hind wing. Color variable 17 b. Front wings not falcate; with or without tails 9 17. a. Yellow-brown with black markings, and with five round black spots above in the apical 1/3 a. Wing margin deeply emarginate distally; wing of the front wing .. Claudia (Cramer) tips may be rounded or ragged at the apex .... b. Without five round black spots above in apical of front wing 18 b. Wing margin distally not or only shallowly 1/3 emraginate; wing tip never ragged 15 18. a. Two eyespots above on front wing on a brown background, one of them large the other small, a. Wings above purple, edged with gold distally. and with a bar of white diagonally between Wing spread 2l to 3 inches /z them (Hubner) (Linnaeus) b. Less than two eyespots above on the front b. Color variable, but never purple edged with wing gold 11 19 19. a. One black eyespot wing above on the front wing Front about black with orange-red and on a light gray-brown background orange-red with white white markings. An medial bar irregular medial spots across wing. extending diagonally the front .... Asterocampa (Boisduval LeConte) The hind wing above black with an orange-red celtis & tip with tiny black dots b. Without eyespots above in front wing 20 (Linnaeus) 20. a. Orange-brown above with dark markings. Never

Academy of Proceedings, Arkansas Science Vol. XXIV.1970 77 http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol24/iss1/28 77 Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28 t» t iiii nvuu

with any white markings or eyespots in the line across the middle of the hind wing. Its food pre. front wing. Round dark spot in the hind wing. ference and life habits are similar to L. astyanax. .... (Boisduval & LeConte) Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus), the red admiral, js b. Front wing above mottled with orange, black, easily recognized by the bright orange-red band across and white 21 the front wing and the outer margin of the hind wing. a. of submarginal eyespots in the The larvae are found singly in a folded leaf of its primary 21. At least 2 the 4 plants wing blue A broad food which are the nettles or other members of hind above have centers. family (). There medical of orange-brown extends from the nettle are two broods band yearly appear in late spring. the anterior margain 2/3 of the way across and the adults the hind wing above; two eyespots are blue in Vanessa virginensis (Drury), the American painted lady, the hind wing Vanessa virginiensis (Drury) is separated from Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus) by the color- ing spots hind wing. At least of spots the hind wing of the on the one the b. The 4 round black in four spots of V. virginensis are larger than the other Never with and above are without blue centers. a have blue with only two of the eyespots repeated broad medial band of orange-brown above in centers in the hind wing below. the hind wing; 4 eyespots below on the hind wing Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus) Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus), the painted lady, is found in nearly all environments ifopen and brightly lighted. the family Nymphalidae vary greatly It The members of can be separated V. virginensis by the spots appearance, habits, and environments. Thus, from above in their and below on the hind wing. The four spots above are only a few generalizations can be made. The majority uniform in size and color, and repeated below fast, fliers, are as are strong and visit flowers freely where they four eyespots. The larvae are chiefly feeders on Compo- twenty-two species from may be collected. Of the listed sitae especially sunflowers (Helianthus) where they reach Arkansas, eighteen are common, with only four uncom- economic importance on sunflowers as a crop. mon or local in distribution. Strays into the state are rare, except along the borders, and are not included. Junonia coenia (Hubner), the buckeye, is very com- United It Anaea andria Scudder, the goat weed butterfly, is mon and widespread in the States is readily recognized by the eyespots of different size both easily recognized by its falcate, reddish-orange wings two on front and hind wings. The larger of these eyespots in edged in dark brown to black. The hind wing is tailed. is present. The females pattern- the front wing is partly circled by a white medial bar. are Enough orange markings are present give an orange ed with dark medial markings above in both wings. to more tinge to the wing color. The olive-gray striped yellowish The grayish green , tapering posteriorly, is cov- larvae feed on varied plants with no well-defined host. ered with fine raised points. It feeds on crotons or goat- The adults Jive over winter and are somewhat migratory. weed (Croton sp.) and has two broods yearly. The adults hibernate in winter, coming out in April. Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus), the mourning cloak, is a medium-large beautiful butterfly with purple wings (Bois. &LeC), the hackberry but- edged in gold. It emerges from hibernation quarters terfly, is orange-brown with black and white spots. The very early in the spring. It is often seen on forest roads hind wing is somewhat pointed. flying up as it is approached, and is probably the first Asterocampa clyton (Bois. & LeC), the tawny butterfly to be seen each year. The black spiny larvae em- extensively tree peror, is very similar to A. celtis, but lacks the white feed on and will defoliate the when numerous, though they are not host-specific. spots and the single black spot above on the front wing. Larvae of both species feed on hackberry where the Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius), is a medium adults linger after emergence. This overwinters as sized orange-brown butterfly. This species is known as half-grown larvae. The adults emerge in June. the question mark due to the silvery mark on the under side of the hind wing resembling this symbol. The edges Limenitis astyanax (Fab). The red-spotted purple is easily recognized by its dark blue front wing with the of the wings are deeply emarginate and irregular giving wing a ragged appearance. red spots beneath showing through above. It is usually the found in or near open wood feeding on carrion or other The larval food includes both woody and non-woody decaying organic matter. Food habits of the larva are plants. As many as five broods yearly are reported. varied, but willowand poplar are preferred. Adults appear in April. There are three broods yearly, and the adults appear Polymonia comma (Harris), known as the comma, is in May. separated from other members of this group by the brown underside of the wings and the silver with- Limenitis archippus (Cramer) the viceroy, comma is often out a silver dot. the mimic because it resembles the monarch tterfly. It can be readily separated from L astyanax The larva are not host-specific. It has two to three Elledits orange-brown color and the presence of a black broods yearly. Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV, 1970 Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1970 78 Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28

Polygonia progne (Cramer), the gray comma, is very on an orange-brown background separate it from Euptoi- similar to P. comma (Harris), but differs in that the un- etea Claudia (Cramer). Euptoietea claudia (Cramer), known derside of the wings are gray, never brown. Larvae feed as the variegated fritillary, is smaller than S. cybele. It extensively on gooseberry. There are two broods yearly. has usually less than 3 inches of wing-spread and has only 5 medial black spots on a mottled yellowish back- Phyciodes texana (Edwards), the Texan crescent, is ground. It feeds on violets and pansies, sometimes be- easily separated from other members of this genus be- coming very destructive. There may be two or three cause of its deeply emarginated front wing with its dark broods yearly. brown, black, and white checkering. Wing spread is us- ually about 1% to IV2 inches. Agraulis cinillae, (Linnaeus), the gulf fritillary,is our only member of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the state. Phyciodes tharos (Drury), the pearl crescent, has It is orange-brown with dark spots on a long pointed only slightly over 1 inch wing spread. The rounded front front wing. The length of the front wing is more than wing is greyish brown checkered with yellow. The medial twice its width. The larvae feed on passion flowers yellow band across the front wing is less than y8 inch () where three or more broods develop yearly. wide in the Arkansas species. The adults appear as early as February or March in , but the emergence date has not been established Phyciodes gorgone (Edwards), the phaon crescent, can in Arkansas. be recognized by its small size of about 1 inch wing spread, and the narrow white medial band above on the front wing. PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY Militaea nycteis Doubleday, the silvery checkerspot, s larger than P. tharos and P. gorgone and has about Masters, John H. 1967. Observations on Arkansas Rho- V2 inch wing spread. The medial orange-brown band palocera and a list of species occurring in North- n the front wing is over V& inch wide. At least two eastern Arkansas. Journ. of Lepidopterist's Soc- f the submarginal black spots above on the hind wing iety, Vol. 21. No. 3, pp. 206-209. ave white centers. feed on sunflowers (Heli- The larvae Dos Passos. A nthus), asters (), (Actinomeris). are two 1969. synonymic list of the Nearctic and There Rhopalocera. Lepidopterist's roods in the south, and adults emerge in June. The Society Mem No. 1, pp. 38-50. ismeria Boisduval & LeConte, the ismeria Comstock, John Henry. 1962. Ninth edition eckerspot, is separated from M.nyceteis Doubleday by revised. An introduction to Entomology. The ving black submarginal spots without white centers. Vail-Ballou IMelitaea Press Inc., Binghamton, New York, 1064 p. Euphydryas phaeton (Drury), the Baltimore, is easify Ehrlich, Paul R., and Anne H. Ehrlich, et al. 1961. How ecognized by its larger size; about 2 inches in wing to know the butterflies. Wm. C. Brown Co. Pub- pread; and its dark black, brown, and white checkered lishers, Dubuque, Iowa, 262 p. ront wing. It is widespread in the U.S., but very local, t occurs only in the vicinity of its preferred host, turtle- Klots, Alexander B. 1960. A field guide to the butterflies ead (Chelone glabra). The larvae feed in a of , East of the Great communal Houghton Plains. eb where they hibernate. The adults are found in May Mifflin Co., Boston, 349 p. nd June. McDunnough, J. 1938. Check list of the of Canada Speyeria cybele (Fabricius), the spangled and the United States of America. Vol' 1' great fritil- part 1. pp. 7-11. lary, is our largest Nymphalid butterfly. It has a wing- spread of 3.3 to 3.7 inches. Its size and the six sub- Holland, W. J. 1916. The butterfly book. Doubleday zigzag markings Page marginal black spots with black medial & Co. Garden City, New York, 382 p.

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