Chlosyne nycteis

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Chlosyne nycteis
Silvery Checkerspot, Megan McCarty116.jpg
Dorsal view
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Chlosyne
Species:
C. nycteis
Binomial name
Chlosyne nycteis
(Doubleday, 1847)
Subspecies
  • Chlosyne nycteis drusius(Edwards, 1884)
  • Chlosyne nycteis reversa(F. & R. Chermock, 1940)
Synonyms
  • Melitaea nycteis
  • Charidryas harrisii

Chlosyne nycteis, the silvery checkerspot, is a species of Nymphalinae butterfly that occurs in North America. It is listed as a species of special concern in Connecticut and Maine, and is believed extirpated in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. [2] [3]

Contents

Description

Adult

The dorsal view is pale yellow orange with dark borders and markings. The hindwing has white-centered submarginal spots on both sides, dorsal and ventral. The hindwing is pale and has a white crescent at the margin.

Caterpillar

The caterpillar is almost all black with dusted white spots. Sometimes, it has a yellow-orange stripe or two smaller stripes along the side. The family Nymphalidae is known for its branched spines.

Range and habitat

Their range consist of southern Canada south to Georgia, Florida, and Texas. [4] [5] Silvery checkerspots enjoy moist areas such as streamsides. They can also be seen in meadows and forest openings.

Lifecycle

In the northern portion of its habitat, one brood hatches between June and July; for the remainder of its range, two broods occur from May to September. Three broods have been reported in the deep southern part of Texas. Females lay eggs in batches which can be up to 100 individuals. Early instar caterpillars stay in groups as they skeletonize leaves while the third instar hibernates.

Larval foods

Larval foods are various Asters, including Eurybia macrophylla , Verbesina alternifolia , Helianthus , and Rudbeckia . [6] [7] [8]

Adult foods

Adult foods include from nectar from Red clover, Common milkweed and Dogbane. [9]

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<i>Adelpha californica</i> Species of butterfly

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<i>Chlosyne gorgone</i> Species of butterfly

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<i>Chlosyne</i> Genus of insects

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<i>Chlosyne harrisii</i> Species of butterfly

Chlosyne harrisii, or Harris's checkerspot, is a member of the family Nymphalidae that is found in North America. They range from the Canadian Atlantic provinces, excluding Newfoundland and Labrador, to Manitoba and North Dakota south to West Virginia and Ohio. They can often be seen in bogs, meadows and almost anywhere else its host plant occurs. The typical elevations for this species range from 0 to 1,742 feet (531 m). It is listed as a species of special concern and believed extirpated in the US state of Connecticut.

<i>Chlorostrymon simaethis</i> Species of butterfly

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<i>Chlosyne palla</i> Species of insect

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<i>Chlosyne acastus</i> Species of insect

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<i>Chlosyne hoffmanni</i> Species of insect

Chlosyne hoffmanni, or Hoffmann's checkerspot, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae that is found in western North America. They range from the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains in the U.S. to Manning Park in British Columbia.

<i>Chlosyne whitneyi</i> Species of insect

Chlosyne whitneyi, the rockslide checkerspot or Sierra Nevada checkerspot, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in western North America from British Columbia and Alberta south, in the mountains, to California and Colorado.

<i>Chlosyne fulvia</i> Species of butterfly

Chlosyne fulvia, the Fulvia checkerspot, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in North America from Kansas, Colorado, southern Utah and Arizona south to central Mexico.

<i>Chlosyne leanira</i> Species of butterfly

Chlosyne leanira, the leanira checkerspot, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in North America from western Oregon south to California, Nevada, Utah and western Colorado, as well as Baja California. The wingspan is 33–40 mm. Generally, females are larger than males, but males have a more apparent red color to their wings.

<i>Euphyes dukesi</i> Species of butterfly

Euphyes dukesi, or Dukes' skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It lives in the eastern United States and in a small portion of southern Ontario, Canada, in three distinct populations. Preferred habitats are shaded wetlands, with various species of sedge plants it uses as host plants for its larvae.

<i>Chlosyne gabbii</i> Species of insect

Chlosyne gabbii, or Gabb's checkerspot, is a butterfly from the family Nymphalidae.

<i>Leucania yu</i> Species of moth

Leucania yu is a moth of the family Noctuidae first described by Achille Guenée in 1852. It is found in Oriental tropics of India, Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan east to Australia, Fiji and Tonga.

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Chlosyne nycteis Silvery Checkerspot". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  3. Calhoun, John (2022). "A local irruption of Chlosyne nycteis (Nymphalidae) in Maine, with an important new food plant record". News of the Lepidopterists' Society. 64: 26–33.
  4. Calhoun, John V. (1996). "Possible relict populations of Chlosyne nycteis in the Florida panhandle (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)". Holarctic Lepidoptera. 3 (2): 69–71.
  5. Calhoun, John V. (1996). "Chlosyne nycteis is alive and apparently well in the Florida panhandle". Southern Lepidopterists' News. 18: 18–19.
  6. "Silvery Checkerspot Chlosyne nycteis (Doubleday, [1847]) | Butterflies and Moths of North America".
  7. Calhoun, John (2022). "A local irruption of Chlosyne nycteis (Nymphalidae) in Maine, with an important new food plant record". News of the Lepidopterists' Society. 64: 26–33.
  8. Calhoun, John V. (2023). "Additional records of Chlosyne nycteis (Nymphalidae) in Maine". News of the Lepidopterists' Society. 65 (1): 26–28.
  9. "Silvery Checkerspot Chlosyne nycteis (Doubleday, [1847]) | Butterflies and Moths of North America".