ML070720477

Butterflies and Moths of North America, Baltimore Species Detail

ML070720477
Person / Time
Site:	Susquehanna
Issue date:	03/07/2007
From:	Montana State Univ
To:	Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
ALICIA MULLINS 301-415-1224
References
Download: ML070720477 (3)

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Species Detail l Butterflies and Moths of North America Butterflies and Moths of North America Occurrence maps, species accounts, checklists, and photographs Home Site Navigation Taxonomic Groups Map Search Species Search Image Gallery More Information About Disclaimer Acknowledgments Contact Us FAQ Glossary Links News Announcement We are seeking skilled lepidopterists to serve as state coordinators.

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Home Species Detail Baltimore Euphydryas phaeton (Drury, 1773) http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1753 (1 of 3)3/7/2007 11:18:29 AM

Species Detail l Butterflies and Moths of North America Attributes of Euphydryas phaeton Documented Records for Euphydryas phaeton Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Subfamily: True Brushfoots (Nymphalinae)

Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside is black with red-orange crescents on outer margins of both wings and rows of creamy white spots inward.

Life history: Males perch near the ground to find females. Eggs are laid in groups of 100-700 under host plant leaves. Newly-hatched caterpillars move to the tip of the plant and feed together in a web which is enlarged downward as the caterpillars consume more of the plant.

These caterpillars suffer high mortality from falling off the plant and from parasitism by wasps. Fourth-stage caterpillars hibernate in rolled leaves on the ground.

Flight: One brood; from May-June in the south, June-August in the north.

Display alternate map range:

Wing span: 1 3/4 - 2 3/4 inches (4.5 - 7 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Plants where eggs are laid and that North America caterpillars eat before hibernating are turtlehead Submit (Chelone glabra), hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), English plantain (Plantago lanceolata), and false foxglove (Aureolaria). After overwintering, caterpillars may continue to use these plants, but may also wander and feed on unrelated plants including arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), common lousewort (Pedicularis canadensis), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and white ash (Fraxinus americana).

Adult food: Nectar from flowers of milkweed, http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1753 (2 of 3)3/7/2007 11:18:29 AM

Species Detail l Butterflies and Moths of North America viburnum, and wild rose.

Habitat: Wet meadows, bogs, and marshes in the northeast part of the range; dry open or wooded hillsides in the southwest.

Range: Very local. Nova Scotia west across the Great Lakes region to southeast Manitoba; south through the eastern United States to northern Georgia, northern Mississippi, and northeast Oklahoma. Isolated records in northeast Texas and Nebraska.

Conservation: Some regional populations may be declining.

NatureServe Global Status: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.

Hosted and maintained by the Big Sky Institute at Montana State University and the NBII Mountain Prairie Information Node.

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http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1753 (3 of 3)3/7/2007 11:18:29 AM