Rouse, E. Phil

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 22 Article 7 1968 Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of Arkansas E. Phil Rouse Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Entomology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Rouse, E. Phil (1968) "Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 22 , Article 7. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol22/iss1/7 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. 29Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. 22, 1968THE SATYRS AND WOOD NYMPHS OF ARKANSASE. Phil RouseLEPIDOPTERA; FAMILYSATYRIDAEThe family Satyridae is characterized by having some of theveins of the front wing greatly swollen at the base. The front legsare greatly reduced in the males and somewhat reduced in the fe-males. The antennal club is small, only gradually enlarged. They aremedium to small in size, with the wings usually having "eye" spottingon a brownish-grey background.The subfamilies fall naturally into two groups because of theshape of the front wing. The Lethinae has a pronounced pointing ofthe front wing apically. In contrast, the Satyrinae "has the frontwing rounded apically. For clarity, a list including common namesof the species likely to be found in Arkansas is included.SUBFAMILY LETHINAELethe portlandia portlandia (Fabricius). Pearly eye.Lethe portlandia anthedon (Clark). Pearly eye,Lethe creola (Skinner). Creole pearly eye.SUBFAMILY SATLRINAEEuptychia gemma gemma (Hubner). Gemmer satyr.Euptychia hermcs sosybius (Fabricius). Carolina satyr.Euptychia cymela (Cramer). Little wood nymph.Euptychia rubricata Edwards. Red satyr.*Euptychia areolata (Smith). Georgia satyr.Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius). Southern wood nymph.The larvae feed principally on grasses. The plain brown pupaeare usually attached by the cremaster to leaves and other suitableobjects among trash and stones. Adults begin emerging in May and,depending on the species, may have one or more broods per year.The adults do not visit flowers avidly as do many other butterflies.Instead, they may be taken while roosting on the ground, tree trunks,stones, sticks and other debris along streams in grassy wooded areas.The adults have a rapid flitting flight pattern.KEY TO THE SATYRIDAE OF ARKANSAS1. a Front wing definitely pointed with the apical edge straightor slightly concave. Figure 1. (Subfamily Lethinae) .2b Front wing noticably convex apically. Figures 2, 3. (Sub-family Satyrinae) 3•Rare29Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196830•Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings2. a Front wing with two well developed eyespots above andusually a third and fourth smaller, or absent. Figure 1,A - Lethe portlandia portlandia (Fabricius)b Front wing with three well developed eyespots above andusually with one other less developed. Figure 1, BLethe portlandia anthedon (Clark)c More pointed front wing. Males with sex scaling betweenveins of front wing ... ...Lethe creola (Skinner)*3. a Front wing without eyespots above Figure 2 4b Front wing with eyespots above. Figure 3 54. a Eyespots on hind wing beneath very small; within asilvery patch distally. Figure 2, A —Euptychia gemma gemma (Hubner)b Eyespots noticably larger and well separated; no silverypatch. Figure 2, B Euptychia hermes sosybius Fabriciusc Eyespots on hind wing beneath almost surrounded with abright orange-red line Euptychia areolata (Smith)6. a Front wing with two well developed eyespots above on anorange-yellow medial patch. Figure 3, A_Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius*b Medium sized, the two eyespots on the front wing aboveare on faint greyish-brown patch. Figure 3, BEuptychia cymela (Cramer)c Wing grey tinged with red above; one eyespont oneach wing Euptychia rubricata Edwards*The "pearly eye" has two subspecies commonly found in thisarea: Lethe portlandia (Fabricius) and Lethe portlandica anthedon(Clark). These medium-sized, spotted, brownish-grew butterfliesare found more often in colonies on tree trunks and among grassesalong streams. Colonies are sometimes miles apart.The male is also prone to adopt a tree or stone for its own"territory", and the same male can be found in the same place dayafter day. Fighting among males for a certain "territory" is notuncommon. These two subspecies may be readily separated by thecharacters given in the key. This genus can be separated from theothers by the pointed front wing. Adults emerge in late May orearly June.The "Creole pearly eye", Lethe creola (Skinner), is easilyrecognized by having a more pointed front wing with sex scalesbetween the veins, giving the wing a greenish pattern medially. Itprefers shaded areas and does most of its flying at dusk when most•Rare30Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol22/iss1/731•The Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of Arkansasother butterflies have ceased to move about. Its food habits arepoorly understood. Adults emerge in late May or June.The "wood nymph", Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius), is a medium-sized butterfly with dark spots on a yellowish-orange patch above.It can be found in meadows as well as woods especially if themeadow is somewhat brushy. The subspecies of this species arepoorly understood. The adults emerge in late May or June.The "little woods nymph", Euptychia cymela (Cramer), ismedium to small with two eyespots on both the front and back wingabove. Its preferred habitat is grassy woods close to water. Adultsemerge in May.The "Carolina satyr", Euptychia hermes sosybia (Fabricius).has two broods a year and has been taken in late October in Ar-kansas. Its preferred habitat is damp woods and wooded swamps. Itis plain above with six well developed eyespots on the underside ofthe hind wing. Two to three of these are darker.The "gemmed satyr", Euptychia gemma (Hubner), is verysimilar in general appearance to Euptychia hermes sosybius (Fabri-cius) except it has very small black spots on a silvery backgroundunderneath the distal edge of the back wing. It is found in woodsand grass along streams and marshes. It has two or more broodsin a year.The "Georgia satyr", Euptychia areolata (Smith), is some-what uncommon in northern Arkansas. Ithas been taken in South.west Arkansas, but its distribution is poorly established in the state.Itprefers open marshy areas, although southward it is reported toprefer grassy areas in open pine woods.31Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196812Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings32Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol22/iss1/7

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Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of Arkansas

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 22 Article 71968Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of ArkansasE. Phil RouseFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Entomology Commons, and the Zoology 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 (1968) "Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 22 , Article 7.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol22/iss1/729Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. 22, 1968THE SATYRS AND WOOD NYMPHS OF ARKANSASE. Phil RouseLEPIDOPTERA; FAMILYSATYRIDAEThe family Satyridae is characterized by having some of theveins of the front wing greatly swollen at the base. The front legsare greatly reduced in the males and somewhat reduced in the fe-males. The antennal club is small, only gradually enlarged. They aremedium to small in size, with the wings usually having "eye" spottingon a brownish-grey background.The subfamilies fall naturally into two groups because of theshape of the front wing. The Lethinae has a pronounced pointing ofthe front wing apically. In contrast, the Satyrinae "has the frontwing rounded apically. For clarity, a list including common namesof the species likely to be found in Arkansas is included.SUBFAMILY LETHINAELethe portlandia portlandia (Fabricius). Pearly eye.Lethe portlandia anthedon (Clark). Pearly eye,Lethe creola (Skinner). Creole pearly eye.SUBFAMILY SATLRINAEEuptychia gemma gemma (Hubner). Gemmer satyr.Euptychia hermcs sosybius (Fabricius). Carolina satyr.Euptychia cymela (Cramer). Little wood nymph.Euptychia rubricata Edwards. Red satyr.*Euptychia areolata (Smith). Georgia satyr.Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius). Southern wood nymph.The larvae feed principally on grasses. The plain brown pupaeare usually attached by the cremaster to leaves and other suitableobjects among trash and stones. Adults begin emerging in May and,depending on the species, may have one or more broods per year.The adults do not visit flowers avidly as do many other butterflies.Instead, they may be taken while roosting on the ground, tree trunks,stones, sticks and other debris along streams in grassy wooded areas.The adults have a rapid flitting flight pattern.KEY TO THE SATYRIDAE OF ARKANSAS1. a Front wing definitely pointed with the apical edge straightor slightly concave. Figure 1. (Subfamily Lethinae) .2b Front wing noticably convex apically. Figures 2, 3. (Sub-family Satyrinae) 3•Rare29Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196830•Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings2. a Front wing with two well developed eyespots above andusually a third and fourth smaller, or absent. Figure 1,A - Lethe portlandia portlandia (Fabricius)b Front wing with three well developed eyespots above andusually with one other less developed. Figure 1, BLethe portlandia anthedon (Clark)c More pointed front wing. Males with sex scaling betweenveins of front wing ... ...Lethe creola (Skinner)*3. a Front wing without eyespots above Figure 2 4b Front wing with eyespots above. Figure 3 54. a Eyespots on hind wing beneath very small; within asilvery patch distally. Figure 2, A —Euptychia gemma gemma (Hubner)b Eyespots noticably larger and well separated; no silverypatch. Figure 2, B Euptychia hermes sosybius Fabriciusc Eyespots on hind wing beneath almost surrounded with abright orange-red line Euptychia areolata (Smith)6. a Front wing with two well developed eyespots above on anorange-yellow medial patch. Figure 3, A_Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius*b Medium sized, the two eyespots on the front wing aboveare on faint greyish-brown patch. Figure 3, BEuptychia cymela (Cramer)c Wing grey tinged with red above; one eyespont oneach wing Euptychia rubricata Edwards*The "pearly eye" has two subspecies commonly found in thisarea: Lethe portlandia (Fabricius) and Lethe portlandica anthedon(Clark). These medium-sized, spotted, brownish-grew butterfliesare found more often in colonies on tree trunks and among grassesalong streams. Colonies are sometimes miles apart.The male is also prone to adopt a tree or stone for its own"territory", and the same male can be found in the same place dayafter day. Fighting among males for a certain "territory" is notuncommon. These two subspecies may be readily separated by thecharacters given in the key. This genus can be separated from theothers by the pointed front wing. Adults emerge in late May orearly June.The "Creole pearly eye", Lethe creola (Skinner), is easilyrecognized by having a more pointed front wing with sex scalesbetween the veins, giving the wing a greenish pattern medially. Itprefers shaded areas and does most of its flying at dusk when most•Rare30Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol22/iss1/731•The Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of Arkansasother butterflies have ceased to move about. Its food habits arepoorly understood. Adults emerge in late May or June.The "wood nymph", Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius), is a medium-sized butterfly with dark spots on a yellowish-orange patch above.It can be found in meadows as well as woods especially if themeadow is somewhat brushy. The subspecies of this species arepoorly understood. The adults emerge in late May or June.The "little woods nymph", Euptychia cymela (Cramer), ismedium to small with two eyespots on both the front and back wingabove. Its preferred habitat is grassy woods close to water. Adultsemerge in May.The "Carolina satyr", Euptychia hermes sosybia (Fabricius).has two broods a year and has been taken in late October in Ar-kansas. Its preferred habitat is damp woods and wooded swamps. Itis plain above with six well developed eyespots on the underside ofthe hind wing. Two to three of these are darker.The "gemmed satyr", Euptychia gemma (Hubner), is verysimilar in general appearance to Euptychia hermes sosybius (Fabri-cius) except it has very small black spots on a silvery backgroundunderneath the distal edge of the back wing. It is found in woodsand grass along streams and marshes. It has two or more broodsin a year.The "Georgia satyr", Euptychia areolata (Smith), is some-what uncommon in northern Arkansas. Ithas been taken in South.west Arkansas, but its distribution is poorly established in the state.Itprefers open marshy areas, although southward it is reported toprefer grassy areas in open pine woods.31Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196812Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings32Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 22 [1968], Art. 7http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol22/iss1/7

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Satyrs and Wood Nymphs of Arkansas

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