Common wood-nymph

Last updated

Contents

Common wood-nymph
Common Wood-nymph, ventral.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Cercyonis
Species:
C. pegala
Binomial name
Cercyonis pegala
(Fabricius, 1775)
Cercyonis pegala range map.JPG

The common wood-nymph (Cercyonis pegala) is a North American species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is also known as the wood-nymph, grayling, [2] blue-eyed grayling, [3] and the goggle eye. [4]

Taxonomy

The following subspecies are recognized:

Description

Dorsal view Common Wood Nymph, dorsal.jpg
Dorsal view
Cercyonis pegala museum specimens Cercyonis.jpg
Cercyonis pegala museum specimens

The common wood-nymph can vary greatly. [5] All individuals are brown with two eyespots on each forewing the lower one often being larger than the upper one. Some may have many, few, or no eyespots on the ventral surface of the hindwing. In the southeastern part of its range, it has a large yellow patch on both surfaces of the forewing. In the western part of its range, it may have a pale yellow patch or may be lacking one. Individuals in the Northeast also lack the yellow patch, i.e., C. p. nephele. In individuals with no yellow patch, there are two pale yellow eye rings that encircle both the forewing eyespots. [6] The wingspan measures 5.3 to 7.3 cm (2.1 to 2.9 in). [2]

These butterflies have ears at their forewing bases that are most sensitive to low frequency sounds (less than 5 kHz). A conspicuous swelling of their forewing subcostal vein is directly connected to the ears. [7]

Similar species

In the western part of the common wood-nymph's range, there are a few similar species. The Great Basin wood-nymph ( Cercyonis sthenele ) and the small wood-nymph ( Cercyonis oetus ) are smaller, and the lower forewing eyespot is smaller than the upper one. Mead's wood-nymph ( Cercyonis meadii ) has a bright red-orange area on the ventral forewing. [6]

Distribution and habitat

The common wood-nymph ranges from Nova Scotia and Quebec west to northern British Columbia south to northern California southeast to Texas and east to northern Florida. [6]

The common wood-nymph is found in a variety of open habitats, such as open woodlands, woodland edges, fields, pastures, wet meadows, prairies, salt marshes, and savannas. [3] [8]

Ecology and behaviour

Life cycle

C. p. nephele, mating Common Wood-nymphs mating.jpg
C. p. nephele, mating

The female common wood-nymph is the active flight partner. [2] The female lays her eggs on or near the host plant. The egg is pale yellow, later turning to a tan color with orange or pink blotches. The caterpillar makes no shelters or nests. [4] It is green or yellowish green with darker green stripes that run the length of the body. It has two short pinkish projections on the end of the abdomen. It has yellow spiracles and is covered in thin, white hairs. The caterpillar will reach a length of 5 cm (2 in). The common wood-nymph caterpillar is very similar to satyr caterpillars in the genera Hermeuptychia , Cyllopsis , and Neonympha . It can be separated by its larger size and habitat. [9] The pale green chrysalis is striped in white or pale yellow. The first instar caterpillar hibernates. [4]

Flight period

The common wood-nymph is found from mid-May to early October in the eastern part of its range. [3] It is found from late June to early July in California [4] and Arizona. [10] It has one brood per year throughout its entire range. [6]

Host plants

Here is a list of host plants used by the common wood-nymph: [3] [10] [9]

Adult food sources

The common wood-nymph feeds on nectar, tree sap, and decaying matters. [3] [8] Some of the plants it nectars on include: [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Papilio glaucus</i> Species of insect

Papilio glaucus, the eastern tiger swallowtail, is a species of butterfly native to eastern North America. It is one of the most familiar butterflies in the eastern United States, ranging north to southern Ontario, Canada, and is common in many different habitats. It flies from spring until fall, during which it produces two to three broods. Adults feed on the nectar of many species of flowers, mostly from those of the families Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, and Fabaceae. P. glaucus has a wingspan measuring 7.9 to 14 cm. The male is yellow with four black "tiger stripes" on each forewing. Females may be either yellow or black, making them dimorphic. The yellow morph is similar to the male, but with a conspicuous band of blue spots along the hindwing, while the dark morph is almost completely black.

<i>Papilio zelicaon</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio zelicaon, the anise swallowtail, is a common swallowtail butterfly of western North America. Both the upper and lower sides of its wings are black, but the upper wing has a broad yellow stripe across it, giving the butterfly an overall yellow appearance. There are striking blue spots on the rear edge of the rear wing, and the characteristic tails of the swallowtails. Its wingspan is 52–80 mm. Its body is somewhat shorter than the rather similar western tiger swallowtail, with which its range overlaps; it also lacks the black stripes, converging toward the tail, of the latter. There is a somewhat darker subspecies, P. z. nitra, which is rare throughout the range, though somewhat more often found at lower elevations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadow brown</span> Species of butterfly

The meadow brown is a butterfly found in the Palearctic realm. Its range includes Europe south of 62°N, Russia eastwards to the Urals, Asia Minor, Iraq, Iran, North Africa and the Canary Islands. The larvae feed on grasses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grayling (butterfly)</span> Species of butterfly

The grayling or rock grayling is a species in the brush-footed butterfly family Nymphalidae. Although found all over Europe, the grayling mostly inhabits coastal areas, with inland populations declining significantly in recent years. The grayling lives in dry and warm habitats with easy access to the sun, which helps them with body temperature regulation.

<i>Papilio polymnestor</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio polymnestor, the blue Mormon, is a large swallowtail butterfly found in south India and Sri Lanka. It is the "state butterfly" of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With a wingspan of 120–150 mm, it is the fourth largest butterfly of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American lady</span> Species of butterfly

The American painted lady or American lady is a butterfly found throughout North America.

<i>Papilio thoas</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio thoas, the king swallowtail or Thoas swallowtail, is a butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found in the southernmost United States, Mexico, Central America and South America. The species is easily confused with the giant swallowtail, which it closely resembles in both larval and adult stages. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of citrus plants (Rutaceae). They have also been reported as feeding on a member of the genus Piper.

<i>Nathalis iole</i> Species of butterfly

Nathalis iole, the dainty sulphur or dwarf yellow, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae.

<i>Euptoieta claudia</i> Species of butterfly

Euptoieta claudia, the variegated fritillary, is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Even though the variegated fritillary has some very different characteristics from the Speyeria fritillaries, it is still closely related to them. Some of the differences are: variegated fritillaries have two or three broods per year vs. one per year in Speyeria; they are nomadic vs. sedentary; and they use a wide range of host plants vs. just violets. And because of their use of passionflowers as a host plant, variegated fritillaries also have taxonomic links to the heliconians. Their flight is low and swift, but even when resting or nectaring, this species is extremely difficult to approach, and, because of this, its genus name was taken from the Greek word euptoietos meaning "easily scared".

<i>Danaus eresimus</i> Species of butterfly

Danaus eresimus, the soldier or tropical queen, is a North American, Caribbean, and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.

<i>Oeneis glacialis</i> Species of butterfly

Oeneis glacialis, the Alpine Grayling, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in the Alps at heights of 1400 to 2900 m above sea level.

<i>Papilio palamedes</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio palamedes, the Palamedes swallowtail or laurel swallowtail, is a North American butterfly in the family Papilionidae.

<i>Kricogonia lyside</i> Species of butterfly

Kricogonia lyside, the lyside sulphur or guayacan sulphur, is a North American, Caribbean, and South American butterfly in the family Pieridae.

<i>Papilio androgeus</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio androgeus, the Androgeus swallowtail, queen page, or queen swallowtail, is a Neotropical butterfly of the family Papilionidae. It is found from Mexico to Argentina with a small population in southern Florida.

<i>Cercyonis sthenele</i> Species of butterfly

Cercyonis sthenele, the Great Basin wood-nymph, is a North American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.

<i>Oeneis nevadensis</i> Species of butterfly

Oeneis nevadensis is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is commonly known as the great Arctic, Nevada Arctic, great grayling, Felder's Arctic, or Pacific Arctic. It is native to northwestern North America.

<i>Papilio rumiko</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio rumiko is a species of swallowtail butterfly. It is found from the south-western United States, through Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica to Panama. The northernmost record is north-eastern Colorado.

References

  1. Walker, A., Geest, E. & Royer (2022). "Cercyonis pegala ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T125855753A125886118. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-3.RLTS.T125855753A125886118.en . Retrieved 5 October 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Shull, Ernest M. (1987). The Butterflies of Indiana. Indiana: Indiana Academy of Science. pp. 227–230. ISBN   0-253-31292-2.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Cech, Rick; Tudor, Guy (2005). Butterflies of the East Coast. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 221. ISBN   0-691-09055-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Scott, James A. (1986). The Butterflies of North America . Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. pp.  240–241. ISBN   0-8047-2013-4.
  5. Calhoun, John (2016). "A reevaluation of Papilio pegala F. and Papilio alope F., with a lectotype designation and a review of Cercyonis pegala (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) in eastern North America". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 70: 20–46. doi:10.18473/lepi.70i1.a5. S2CID   87389076.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Brock, Jim P.; Kaufman, Kenn (2003). Butterflies of North America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. p. 236. ISBN   0-618-15312-8.
  7. Penghui Sun, Natasha Mhatre, Andrew C. Mason, Jayne E. Yack (17 October 2018). "In that vein: inflated wing veins contribute to butterfly hearing". Biology Letters. 14 (10). doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0496 . PMC   6227864 . PMID   30333263.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. 1 2 3 Iftner, David C.; Shuey, John A.; Calhoun, John V. (1992). Butterflies and Skippers of Ohio. Ohio: College of Biological Sciences and The Ohio State University. p. 147. ISBN   0-86727-107-8.
  9. 1 2 Wagner, David L. (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 135. ISBN   0-691-12144-3.
  10. 1 2 Stewart, Bob; Brodkin, Priscilla; Brodkin, Hank (2001). Butterflies of Arizona. Arcata, CA: West Coast Lady Press. p. 216. ISBN   0-9663072-1-6.