Rouse, E. Phil

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Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 24 Article 281970Butterflies of Arkansas Family NymphalidaeE. Phil RouseUniversity of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Entomology Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academyof Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu, ccmiddle@uark.edu.Recommended CitationRouse, 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/iss1/28Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV,197076£• r rxuuscThe Butterflies of Arkansas Family NymphalidaeE. Phil Rouse, Entomology DepartmentUniversity of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701The members of the family Nymphalidae vary incolor from orange marked with black to shades of blueand purple. They can usually be separated from otherfamilies by the greatly reduced front legs; the cubitusappearing three-branched; and the presence of scales onthe definitely clubbed antennae.SUBFAMILY NYMPHALINAENymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus). Mourning CloakPolygonia interrogationis (Fabricius). Question markPolygonia comma (Harirs). Hop merchant or commaPolygonia progne (Cramer). Gray commaFamilies likely to be confused with the Nymphalidaeare Libytheidae, Danaidae, Pieridae, and Satyridae. Thesefamilies can be distinguished by the following characters.The Libytheidae have extremely long palpi, longer thanthe thorax and extending forward. The Danaidae havescaleless antennae. The Pieridae have well developedfront legs with bifid claws. The Satyridae have the baseof the wing veins greatly swollen.SUBFAMILY MELITAEINAEPhyciodes (Tritanassa) texana (Edwards). Texan crescentPhyciodes (Phyciodes) tharos (Drury). Pearl crescentPhyciodes (Phyciodes) gorgone (Hubner). Phaon cres-centMelitaea (Microtia) nycteis Doubleday. Silver checker-spotMelitaea (Microtia) ismeria Boisduval & LeConte. IsmeriacheckerspotThe larvae of the family Nymphalidae do not bearfleshy filaments although many have branching spines.The pupae have many projections and hang unsupportedfrom the cremaster attached to hidden surfaces.Euphydryas phaeton (Drury). The BaltimoreSUBFAMILY ARGYNNINAEFor clarity a phylogenetic list according to DosPassos of the Nymphalidae in Arkansas follows. Speyeria (Semnopsyche) cybele (Fabricius). Great span-gled fritillaryEuptoJeta claudia (Cramer). Variegated fritillarySUBFAMILY CHARAXINAEAnaea andria Scudder. Goat weed butterfly SUBFAMILY HELICONIINAEAgraulis vinillae (Linnaeus). Gulf fritillarySUBFAMILY APATURINAEAsterocampa celtis (Boisduval & LeConte). Hackberrybutterfly KEY TO THE GENERA AND SPECIESOF THE NYMPHALIDAEOF ARKANSASAsterocampa clyton (Boisduval & LeConte). Tawny em-peror1. Distal margin of the front wing straight or con-SUBFAMILY LIMENITIDINAE vex, wing tip rounded 2Limenitis (Limenitis) astyanax (Fabricius). Redspottedpurple b. Distal margin of the front wing deeply concaveor deeply emarginate usually with a raggedLimenitis (Limenitis) archippus (Cramer). Viceroy appearance 72. Large wing spread 3.3 to 3.7 inches. Yellow-brown background above with black marking.Six dark round spots in apical third of thefront wing. No round spots near baseSUBFAMILY VANESSINAEVanessa atalanta (Linnaeus). Red admiralVanessa virginiensis (Drury). American painted ladyVanessa cardui (Linnaeus). Painted lady Speyeria cybele (Fabricius)Junonia coenia (Hubner). The buckeye b. Small to medium wing spread, 1 to 2 inches3Published with the approval of the Director, Agri-cultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas.3. a. Background black above checkered with whiteand orange-brown spots. Bluntly pointed front76Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1970Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV.1970 77wing with distal margin straight. Wing spread2 inches Euphydryas phaeton (Drury)b. Checkered with orange-bronw and brown 12.above. Wing-spread 1 to IV2 inches 4Darkly checkered with orange-brown and brownabove with a narrow medial band of white ex-tending from the leading edge to the posterior4.edge of the front wing .... Phyciodes gorgone(Edwards)Medial light band in front wing above, neverbwhite, usually orange-brown 5Orange-brown medial band in front wing lessthan y8 inch wide. Heavily mottled basically5.with orange-brown on a dark backgroundPhycoiodes tharos (Drury)Orange-brown medial band in front wing aboveb.over % inch wide 6Submarginal row of black dots in hind wingabove has at least one with a white center6.Melitaea nycteis DoubledaySubmarginal row of dots in hind wing withoutb.white centersMelitaea ismeria (Boisduval & LeConte)Front wing more than twice as long as wide,wing tip bluntly rounded, orange-brown abovemarked with black, and with three dark spotswith white centers near the anterior margin7.basically Agraulis vinillae (Linnaeus)Length of front wing less than twice its widthb.8a. Front wing falcate, reddish-orange above mar-gined with black distally; short tails on thehind wing Anaea andria (Scudder)b. Front wings not falcate; with or without tails9a. Wing margin deeply emarginate distally; wingtips may be rounded or ragged at the apex ....b. Wing margin distally not or only shallowlyemraginate; wing tip never ragged 15a. Wings above purple, edged with gold distally.Wing spread 2l/z to 3 inchesNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus)b. Color variable, but never purple edged withgold 11Front wing about black with orange-red andwhite markings. An orange-red medial barextending diagonally across the front wing.The hind wing above black with an orange-redtip with tiny black dotsVanessa atalanta (Linnaeus)b. Never black with an orange bar across thefront wing. Background color variable .... 12Very dark brown to black above with orangemottling basically. One deep emargination infront wing with the tip rounded. Wing spreadIV2 inches Phyciodes texana (Edwards)b. Never very dark orange above overlaid withorange-brown markings; anterior wing marginsragged 13Silver dot following a silver comma forming13.the question mark on the underside of thehind wing. Wing spread 2% to 2% inches ....Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius)b. Silver mark on underside of hind wing comma-shaped without a silver dot. Wing spread 1%to 2 inches 1414. a. Underside of wings mottled with brownPolygonia comma (Harris)b. Underside of wings mottled with grayPolygonia progne (Cramer)15. a. Background color above dark blue anteriorlyfading into pale blue on the posterior half ofthe hind wing. Red spots on the underside ofthe front wing show through, marking the wingabove with faint red spots. Wing spread 2l/2to 3 inches .... Limenitis astyanax (Fabricius)b. Color variable, but never dark blue fading intopale blue on the hind wing 1616. a. A black band medial across the veins of thehind wing. Background color orange-brownwith the distal margins black with white spotsLimenitis archippus (Drury)b. Without a narrow black band above on thehind wing. Color variable 1717. a. Yellow-brown with black markings, and withfive round black spots above in the apical 1/3of the front wing .. Euptoieta Claudia (Cramer)b. Without five round black spots above in apical1/3 of front wing 1818. a. Two eyespots above on front wing on a brownbackground, one of them large the other small,and with a bar of white diagonally betweenthem Junonia coenia (Hubner)b. Less than two eyespots above on the frontwing 1919. a. One black eyespot above on the front wingon a light gray-brown background with whiteirregular medial spots.... Asterocampa celtis (Boisduval & LeConte)b. Without eyespots above in front wing 2020. a. Orange-brown above with dark markings. Never77Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol24/iss1/28t» t iii nvuuwith any white markings or eyespots in thefront wing. Round dark spot in the hind wing..... Asterocampa clyton (Boisduval & LeConte)b. Front wing above mottled with orange, black,and white 2121. a. At least 2 of the 4 submarginal eyespots in thehind wing above have blue centers. A broadmedical band of orange-brown extends fromthe anterior margain 2/3 of the way acrossthe hind wing above; two eyespots are blue inthe hind wing Vanessa virginiensis (Drury)b. The 4 round black spots in the hind wingabove are without blue centers. Never with abroad medial band of orange-brown above inthe hind wing; 4 eyespots below on the hindwing Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus)The members of the family Nymphalidae vary greatlyin their appearance, habits, and environments. Thus,only a few generalizations can be made. The majorityare fast, strong fliers, and visit flowers freely where theymay be collected. Of the twenty-two species listed fromArkansas, eighteen are common, with only four uncom-mon or local in distribution. Strays into the state arerare, except along the borders, and are not included.Anaea andria Scudder, the goat weed butterfly, iseasily recognized by its falcate, reddish-orange wingsedged in dark brown to black. The hind wing is tailed.Sexual dimorphism is present. The females are pattern-ed with more dark medial markings above in both wings.The grayish green larva, tapering posteriorly, is cov-ered with fine raised points. It feeds on crotons or goat-weed (Croton sp.) and has two broods yearly. The adultshibernate in winter, coming out in April.Asterocampa celtis (Bois. &LeC), the hackberry but-terfly, is orange-brown with black and white spots. Thehind wing is somewhat pointed.Asterocampa clyton (Bois. & LeC), the tawny em-peror, is very similar to A. celtis, but lacks the whitespots and the single black spot above on the front wing.Larvae of both species feed on hackberry where theadults linger after emergence. This genus overwinters ashalf-grown larvae. The adults emerge in June.Limenitis astyanax (Fab). The red-spotted purple iseasily recognized by its dark blue front wing with thered spots beneath showing through above. It is usuallyfound in or near open wood feeding on carrion or otherdecaying organic matter. Food habits of the larva arevaried, but willowand poplar are preferred.There are three broods yearly, and the adults appearin May.Limenitis archippus (Cramer) the viceroy, is oftenElled the mimic because it resembles the monarchtterfly. It can be readily separated from L astyanaxits orange-brown color and the presence of a blackline across the middle of the hind wing. Its food pre.ference and life habits are similar to L. astyanax.Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus), the red admiral, jseasily recognized by the bright orange-red band acrossthe front wing and the outer margin of the hind wing.The larvae are found singly in a folded leaf of its primaryfood plants which are the nettles or other members ofthe nettle family (Urticaceae). There are two broodsyearly and the adults appear in late spring.Vanessa virginensis (Drury), the American painted lady,is separated from Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus) by the color-ing of the spots on the hind wing. At least one of thefour spots of V. virginensis are larger than the other andhave blue centers with only two of the eyespots repeatedin the hind wing below.Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus), the painted lady, is foundin nearly all environments ifopen and brightly lighted. Itcan be separated from V. virginensis by the spots aboveand below on the hind wing. The four spots above areuniform in size and color, and are repeated below asfour eyespots. The larvae are chiefly feeders on Compo-sitae especially sunflowers (Helianthus) where they reacheconomic importance on sunflowers as a crop.Junonia coenia (Hubner), the buckeye, is very com-mon and widespread in the United States It is readilyrecognized by the two eyespots of different size on bothfront and hind wings. The larger of these eyespots inthe front wing is partly circled by a white medial bar.Enough orange markings are present to give an orangetinge to the wing color. The olive-gray striped yellowishlarvae feed on varied plants with no well-defined host.The adults Jive over winter and are somewhat migratory.Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus), the mourning cloak,is a medium-large beautiful butterfly with purple wingsedged in gold. It emerges from hibernation quartersvery early in the spring. It is often seen on forest roadsflying up as it is approached, and is probably the firstbutterfly to be seen each year. The black spiny larvaefeed extensively on willow and will defoliate the treewhen numerous, though they are not host-specific.Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius), is a mediumsized orange-brown butterfly. This species is known asthe question mark due to the silvery mark on the underside of the hind wing resembling this symbol. The edgesof the wings are deeply emarginate and irregular givingthe wing a ragged appearance.The larval food includes both woody and non-woodyplants. As many as five broods yearly are reported.Adults appear in April.Polymonia comma (Harris), known as the comma, isseparated from other members of this group by thebrown underside of the wings and the silver comma with-out a silver dot.The larva are not host-specific. It has two to threebroods yearly.Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV, 197078Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1970Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV, 1970 79Polygonia progne (Cramer), the gray comma, is verysimilar to P. comma (Harris), but differs in that the un-derside of the wings are gray, never brown. Larvae feedextensively on gooseberry. There are two broods yearly.Phyciodes texana (Edwards), the Texan crescent, iseasily separated from other members of this genus be-cause of its deeply emarginated front wing with its darkbrown, black, and white checkering. Wing spread is us-ually about 1% to IV2 inches.Phyciodes tharos (Drury), the pearl crescent, hasonly slightly over 1 inch wing spread. The rounded frontwing is greyish brown checkered with yellow. The medialyellow band across the front wing is less than y8 inchwide in the Arkansas species.Phyciodes gorgone (Edwards), the phaon crescent, canbe recognized by its small size of about 1 inch wingspread, and the narrow white medial band above on thefront wing.Militaea nycteis Doubleday, the silvery checkerspot,s larger than P. tharos and P. gorgone and has aboutV2 inch wing spread. The medial orange-brown bandn the front wing is over V& inch wide. At least twof the submarginal black spots above on the hind wingave white centers. The larvae feed on sunflowers (Heli-nthus), asters (Aster), and (Actinomeris). There are tworoods in the south, and adults emerge in June.IMelitaea ismeria Boisduval & LeConte, the ismeriaeckerspot, is separated from M.nyceteis Doubleday byving black submarginal spots without white centers.Euphydryas phaeton (Drury), the Baltimore, is easifyecognized by its larger size; about 2 inches in wingpread; and its dark black, brown, and white checkeredront wing. It is widespread in the U.S., but very local,t occurs only in the vicinity of its preferred host, turtle-ead (Chelone glabra). The larvae feed in a communaleb where they hibernate. The adults are found in Maynd June.Speyeria cybele (Fabricius), the great spangled fritil-lary, is our largest Nymphalid butterfly. It has a wing-spread of 3.3 to 3.7 inches. Its size and the six sub-marginal black spots with black medial zigzag markingson an orange-brown background separate it from Euptoi-etea Claudia (Cramer). Euptoietea claudia (Cramer), knownas the variegated fritillary, is smaller than S. cybele. Ithas usually less than 3 inches of wing-spread and hasonly 5 medial black spots on a mottled yellowish back-ground. It feeds on violets and pansies, sometimes be-coming very destructive. There may be two or threebroods yearly.Agraulis cinillae, (Linnaeus), the gulf fritillary,is ouronly member of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the state.It is orange-brown with dark spots on a long pointedfront wing. The length of the front wing is more thantwice its width. The larvae feed on passion flowers(Passiflora) where three or more broods develop yearly.The adults appear as early as February or March inFlorida, but the emergence date has not been establishedin Arkansas.PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHYMasters, John H. 1967. Observations on Arkansas Rho-palocera and a list of species occurring in North-eastern Arkansas. Journ. of Lepidopterist's Soc-iety, Vol. 21. No. 3, pp. 206-209.Dos Passos. 1969. A synonymic list of the NearcticRhopalocera. The Lepidopterist's Society MemNo. 1, pp. 38-50.Comstock, John Henry. 1962. Ninth edition revised.An introduction to Entomology. The Vail-BallouPress Inc., Binghamton, New York, 1064 p.Ehrlich, Paul R., and Anne H. Ehrlich, et al. 1961. Howto know the butterflies. Wm. C. Brown Co. Pub-lishers, Dubuque, Iowa, 262 p.Klots, Alexander B. 1960. A field guide to the butterfliesof North America, East of the Great Plains.Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 349 p.McDunnough, J. 1938. Check list of the Lepidoptera ofCanada and the United States of America. Vol 1part 1. pp. 7-11.' 'Holland, W. J. 1916. The butterfly book. DoubledayPage & Co. Garden City, New York, 382 p.79Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol24/iss1/28

Butterflies of Arkansas Family Nymphalidae

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 24 Article 28 1970 Butterflies of Arkansas Family Nymphalidae E. Phil Rouse University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Entomology Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Rouse, E. Phil (1970) "Butterflies of Arkansas Family Nymphalidae," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 24 , Article 28. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol24/iss1/28 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV,197076£• r rxuuscThe Butterflies of Arkansas Family NymphalidaeE. Phil Rouse, Entomology DepartmentUniversity of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701The members of the family Nymphalidae vary incolor from orange marked with black to shades of blueand purple. They can usually be separated from otherfamilies by the greatly reduced front legs; the cubitusappearing three-branched; and the presence of scales onthe definitely clubbed antennae.SUBFAMILY NYMPHALINAENymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus). Mourning CloakPolygonia interrogationis (Fabricius). Question markPolygonia comma (Harirs). Hop merchant or commaPolygonia progne (Cramer). Gray commaFamilies likely to be confused with the Nymphalidaeare Libytheidae, Danaidae, Pieridae, and Satyridae. Thesefamilies can be distinguished by the following characters.The Libytheidae have extremely long palpi, longer thanthe thorax and extending forward. The Danaidae havescaleless antennae. The Pieridae have well developedfront legs with bifid claws. The Satyridae have the baseof the wing veins greatly swollen.SUBFAMILY MELITAEINAEPhyciodes (Tritanassa) texana (Edwards). Texan crescentPhyciodes (Phyciodes) tharos (Drury). Pearl crescentPhyciodes (Phyciodes) gorgone (Hubner). Phaon cres-centMelitaea (Microtia) nycteis Doubleday. Silver checker-spotMelitaea (Microtia) ismeria Boisduval & LeConte. IsmeriacheckerspotThe larvae of the family Nymphalidae do not bearfleshy filaments although many have branching spines.The pupae have many projections and hang unsupportedfrom the cremaster attached to hidden surfaces.Euphydryas phaeton (Drury). The BaltimoreSUBFAMILY ARGYNNINAEFor clarity a phylogenetic list according to DosPassos of the Nymphalidae in Arkansas follows. Speyeria (Semnopsyche) cybele (Fabricius). Great span-gled fritillaryEuptoJeta claudia (Cramer). Variegated fritillarySUBFAMILY CHARAXINAEAnaea andria Scudder. Goat weed butterfly SUBFAMILY HELICONIINAEAgraulis vinillae (Linnaeus). Gulf fritillarySUBFAMILY APATURINAEAsterocampa celtis (Boisduval & LeConte). HackberrybutterflyKEY TO THE GENERA AND SPECIESOF THE NYMPHALIDAEOF ARKANSASAsterocampa clyton (Boisduval & LeConte). Tawny em-peror1. Distal margin of the front wing straight or con-SUBFAMILY LIMENITIDINAE vex, wing tip rounded 2Limenitis (Limenitis) astyanax (Fabricius). Redspottedpurple b. Distal margin of the front wing deeply concaveor deeply emarginate usually with a raggedLimenitis (Limenitis) archippus (Cramer). Viceroy appearance 72. Large wing spread 3.3 to 3.7 inches. Yellow-brown background above with black marking.Six dark round spots in apical third of thefront wing. No round spots near baseSUBFAMILY VANESSINAEVanessa atalanta (Linnaeus). Red admiralVanessa virginiensis (Drury). American painted ladyVanessa cardui (Linnaeus). Painted lady Speyeria cybele (Fabricius)Junonia coenia (Hubner). The buckeye b. Small to medium wing spread, 1 to 2 inches3Published with the approval of the Director, Agri-cultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas.3. a. Background black above checkered with whiteand orange-brown spots. Bluntly pointed front76Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1970Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV.1970 77wing with distal margin straight. Wing spread2 inches Euphydryas phaeton (Drury)b. Checkered with orange-bronw and brown 12.above. Wing-spread 1 to IV2 inches 4Darkly checkered with orange-brown and brownabove with a narrow medial band of white ex-tending from the leading edge to the posterior4.edge of the front wing .... Phyciodes gorgone(Edwards)Medial light band in front wing above, neverbwhite, usually orange-brown 5Orange-brown medial band in front wing lessthan y8 inch wide. Heavily mottled basically5.with orange-brown on a dark backgroundPhycoiodes tharos (Drury)Orange-brown medial band in front wing aboveb.over % inch wide 6Submarginal row of black dots in hind wingabove has at least one with a white center6.Melitaea nycteis DoubledaySubmarginal row of dots in hind wing withoutb.white centersMelitaea ismeria (Boisduval & LeConte)Front wing more than twice as long as wide,wing tip bluntly rounded, orange-brown abovemarked with black, and with three dark spotswith white centers near the anterior margin7.basically Agraulis vinillae (Linnaeus)Length of front wing less than twice its widthb.8a. Front wing falcate, reddish-orange above mar-gined with black distally; short tails on thehind wing Anaea andria (Scudder)b. Front wings not falcate; with or without tails9a. Wing margin deeply emarginate distally; wingtips may be rounded or ragged at the apex ....b. Wing margin distally not or only shallowlyemraginate; wing tip never ragged 15a. Wings above purple, edged with gold distally.Wing spread 2l/z to 3 inchesNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus)b. Color variable, but never purple edged withgold 11Front wing about black with orange-red andwhite markings. An orange-red medial barextending diagonally across the front wing.The hind wing above black with an orange-redtip with tiny black dotsVanessa atalanta (Linnaeus)b. Never black with an orange bar across thefront wing. Background color variable .... 12Very dark brown to black above with orangemottling basically. One deep emargination infront wing with the tip rounded. Wing spreadIV2 inches Phyciodes texana (Edwards)b. Never very dark orange above overlaid withorange-brown markings; anterior wing marginsragged 13Silver dot following a silver comma forming13.the question mark on the underside of thehind wing. Wing spread 2% to 2% inches ....Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius)b. Silver mark on underside of hind wing comma-shaped without a silver dot. Wing spread 1%to 2 inches 1414. a. Underside of wings mottled with brownPolygonia comma (Harris)b. Underside of wings mottled with grayPolygonia progne (Cramer)15. a. Background color above dark blue anteriorlyfading into pale blue on the posterior half ofthe hind wing. Red spots on the underside ofthe front wing show through, marking the wingabove with faint red spots. Wing spread 2l/2to 3 inches .... Limenitis astyanax (Fabricius)b. Color variable, but never dark blue fading intopale blue on the hind wing 1616. a. A black band medial across the veins of thehind wing. Background color orange-brownwith the distal margins black with white spotsLimenitis archippus (Drury)b. Without a narrow black band above on thehind wing. Color variable 1717. a. Yellow-brown with black markings, and withfive round black spots above in the apical 1/3of the front wing .. Euptoieta Claudia (Cramer)b. Without five round black spots above in apical1/3 of front wing 1818. a. Two eyespots above on front wing on a brownbackground, one of them large the other small,and with a bar of white diagonally betweenthem Junonia coenia (Hubner)b. Less than two eyespots above on the frontwing 1919. a. One black eyespot above on the front wingon a light gray-brown background with whiteirregular medial spots.... Asterocampa celtis (Boisduval & LeConte)b. Without eyespots above in front wing 2020. a. Orange-brown above with dark markings. Never77Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol24/iss1/28t» t iii nvuuwith any white markings or eyespots in thefront wing. Round dark spot in the hind wing..... Asterocampa clyton (Boisduval & LeConte)b. Front wing above mottled with orange, black,and white 2121. a. At least 2 of the 4 submarginal eyespots in thehind wing above have blue centers. A broadmedical band of orange-brown extends fromthe anterior margain 2/3 of the way acrossthe hind wing above; two eyespots are blue inthe hind wing Vanessa virginiensis (Drury)b. The 4 round black spots in the hind wingabove are without blue centers. Never with abroad medial band of orange-brown above inthe hind wing; 4 eyespots below on the hindwing Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus)The members of the family Nymphalidae vary greatlyin their appearance, habits, and environments. Thus,only a few generalizations can be made. The majorityare fast, strong fliers, and visit flowers freely where theymay be collected. Of the twenty-two species listed fromArkansas, eighteen are common, with only four uncom-mon or local in distribution. Strays into the state arerare, except along the borders, and are not included.Anaea andria Scudder, the goat weed butterfly, iseasily recognized by its falcate, reddish-orange wingsedged in dark brown to black. The hind wing is tailed.Sexual dimorphism is present. The females are pattern-ed with more dark medial markings above in both wings.The grayish green larva, tapering posteriorly, is cov-ered with fine raised points. It feeds on crotons or goat-weed (Croton sp.) and has two broods yearly. The adultshibernate in winter, coming out in April.Asterocampa celtis (Bois. &LeC), the hackberry but-terfly, is orange-brown with black and white spots. Thehind wing is somewhat pointed.Asterocampa clyton (Bois. & LeC), the tawny em-peror, is very similar to A. celtis, but lacks the whitespots and the single black spot above on the front wing.Larvae of both species feed on hackberry where theadults linger after emergence. This genus overwinters ashalf-grown larvae. The adults emerge in June.Limenitis astyanax (Fab). The red-spotted purple iseasily recognized by its dark blue front wing with thered spots beneath showing through above. It is usuallyfound in or near open wood feeding on carrion or otherdecaying organic matter. Food habits of the larva arevaried, but willowand poplar are preferred.There are three broods yearly, and the adults appearin May.Limenitis archippus (Cramer) the viceroy, is oftenElled the mimic because it resembles the monarchtterfly. It can be readily separated from L astyanaxits orange-brown color and the presence of a blackline across the middle of the hind wing. Its food pre.ference and life habits are similar to L. astyanax.Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus), the red admiral, jseasily recognized by the bright orange-red band acrossthe front wing and the outer margin of the hind wing.The larvae are found singly in a folded leaf of its primaryfood plants which are the nettles or other members ofthe nettle family (Urticaceae). There are two broodsyearly and the adults appear in late spring.Vanessa virginensis (Drury), the American painted lady,is separated from Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus) by the color-ing of the spots on the hind wing. At least one of thefour spots of V. virginensis are larger than the other andhave blue centers with only two of the eyespots repeatedin the hind wing below.Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus), the painted lady, is foundin nearly all environments ifopen and brightly lighted. Itcan be separated from V. virginensis by the spots aboveand below on the hind wing. The four spots above areuniform in size and color, and are repeated below asfour eyespots. The larvae are chiefly feeders on Compo-sitae especially sunflowers (Helianthus) where they reacheconomic importance on sunflowers as a crop.Junonia coenia (Hubner), the buckeye, is very com-mon and widespread in the United States It is readilyrecognized by the two eyespots of different size on bothfront and hind wings. The larger of these eyespots inthe front wing is partly circled by a white medial bar.Enough orange markings are present to give an orangetinge to the wing color. The olive-gray striped yellowishlarvae feed on varied plants with no well-defined host.The adults Jive over winter and are somewhat migratory.Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus), the mourning cloak,is a medium-large beautiful butterfly with purple wingsedged in gold. It emerges from hibernation quartersvery early in the spring. It is often seen on forest roadsflying up as it is approached, and is probably the firstbutterfly to be seen each year. The black spiny larvaefeed extensively on willow and will defoliate the treewhen numerous, though they are not host-specific.Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius), is a mediumsized orange-brown butterfly. This species is known asthe question mark due to the silvery mark on the underside of the hind wing resembling this symbol. The edgesof the wings are deeply emarginate and irregular givingthe wing a ragged appearance.The larval food includes both woody and non-woodyplants. As many as five broods yearly are reported.Adults appear in April.Polymonia comma (Harris), known as the comma, isseparated from other members of this group by thebrown underside of the wings and the silver comma with-out a silver dot.The larva are not host-specific. It has two to threebroods yearly.Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV, 197078Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 1970Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. XXIV, 1970 79Polygonia progne (Cramer), the gray comma, is verysimilar to P. comma (Harris), but differs in that the un-derside of the wings are gray, never brown. Larvae feedextensively on gooseberry. There are two broods yearly.Phyciodes texana (Edwards), the Texan crescent, iseasily separated from other members of this genus be-cause of its deeply emarginated front wing with its darkbrown, black, and white checkering. Wing spread is us-ually about 1% to IV2 inches.Phyciodes tharos (Drury), the pearl crescent, hasonly slightly over 1 inch wing spread. The rounded frontwing is greyish brown checkered with yellow. The medialyellow band across the front wing is less than y8 inchwide in the Arkansas species.Phyciodes gorgone (Edwards), the phaon crescent, canbe recognized by its small size of about 1 inch wingspread, and the narrow white medial band above on thefront wing.Militaea nycteis Doubleday, the silvery checkerspot,s larger than P. tharos and P. gorgone and has aboutV2 inch wing spread. The medial orange-brown bandn the front wing is over V& inch wide. At least twof the submarginal black spots above on the hind wingave white centers. The larvae feed on sunflowers (Heli-nthus), asters (Aster), and (Actinomeris). There are tworoods in the south, and adults emerge in June.IMelitaea ismeria Boisduval &LeConte, the ismeriaeckerspot, is separated from M.nyceteis Doubleday byving black submarginal spots without white centers.Euphydryas phaeton (Drury), the Baltimore, is easifyecognized by its larger size; about 2 inches in wingpread; and its dark black, brown, and white checkeredront wing. It is widespread in the U.S., but very local,t occurs only in the vicinity of its preferred host, turtle-ead (Chelone glabra). The larvae feed in a communaleb where they hibernate. The adults are found in Maynd June.Speyeria cybele (Fabricius), the great spangled fritil-lary, is our largest Nymphalid butterfly. It has a wing-spread of 3.3 to 3.7 inches. Its size and the six sub-marginal black spots with black medial zigzag markingson an orange-brown background separate it from Euptoi-etea Claudia (Cramer). Euptoietea claudia (Cramer), knownas the variegated fritillary, is smaller than S. cybele. Ithas usually less than 3 inches of wing-spread and hasonly 5 medial black spots on a mottled yellowish back-ground. It feeds on violets and pansies, sometimes be-coming very destructive. There may be two or threebroods yearly.Agraulis cinillae, (Linnaeus), the gulf fritillary,is ouronly member of the subfamily Heliconiinae in the state.It is orange-brown with dark spots on a long pointedfront wing. The length of the front wing is more thantwice its width. The larvae feed on passion flowers(Passiflora) where three or more broods develop yearly.The adults appear as early as February or March inFlorida, but the emergence date has not been establishedin Arkansas.PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHYMasters, John H. 1967. Observations on Arkansas Rho-palocera and a list of species occurring in North-eastern Arkansas. Journ. of Lepidopterist's Soc-iety, Vol. 21. No. 3, pp. 206-209.Dos Passos. 1969. A synonymic list of the NearcticRhopalocera. The Lepidopterist's Society MemNo. 1, pp. 38-50.Comstock, John Henry. 1962. Ninth edition revised.An introduction to Entomology. The Vail-BallouPress Inc., Binghamton, New York, 1064 p.Ehrlich, Paul R., and Anne H. Ehrlich, et al. 1961. Howto know the butterflies. Wm. C. Brown Co. Pub-lishers, Dubuque, Iowa, 262 p.Klots, Alexander B. 1960. A field guide to the butterfliesof North America, East of the Great Plains.Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 349 p.McDunnough, J. 1938. Check list of the Lepidoptera ofCanada and the United States of America. Vol 1part 1. pp. 7-11.' 'Holland, W. J. 1916. The butterfly book. DoubledayPage & Co. Garden City, New York, 382 p.79Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 24 [1970], Art. 28https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol24/iss1/28

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Butterflies of Arkansas Family Nymphalidae

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