Chlosyne nycteis
Silvery Checkerspot | |
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Dorsal view | |
Underside | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Nymphalidae |
Genus: | Chlosyne |
Species: | C. nycteis |
Binomial name | |
Chlosyne nycteis (Doubleday, 1847)) | |
Subspecies | |
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Synonyms | |
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- Common names
- Silvery Checkerspot
The Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) is a species of Nymphalinae that occurs in North America.
Description
- Adult
The dorsal view is pale yellow-orange with dark borders and markings. The hindwing has a 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 they have a yellow-orange stripe or two smaller stripes along the side. The Nymphalidae family is known for its branched spines.
Range & Habitat
Their range consist of southern Canada south to Georgia and Texas, but does not occur in the Costal Plains. Silvery Checkerspots enjoy moist areas such as streamsides. They can also be seen in meadows and forest openings.
Life cycle
In the northern portion of its habitat there is one brood between June and July, for the remainder of its range there are two broods from May to September. There have often been recorded three broods in the deep southern part of Texas. Females lay eggs in batches which there can be up to 100 individuals. Early instar caterpillars stay in groups as they skeletonize leaves while the third-instar hibernates.
Larval foods
- Rudbeckia
- Helianthus
- Actinomeris alternifolia
Adult foods
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chlosyne nycteis. |
- "Species Chlosyne nycteis - Silvery Checkerspot - BugGuide.net". Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- "Chlosyne". Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- "Species Detail Butterflies and Moths of North America". Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- Silvery Checkerspot, Butterflies of Ontario