Euphydryas phaeton
| Euphydryas phaeton | ||||||||||||
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Euphydryas phaeton |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Euphydryas phaeton | ||||||||||||
| ( Drury , 1773) |
Euphydryas phaeton is a butterfly ( butterfly ) from the family of Nymphalidae (Nymphalidae). Since 1973 the species has been listed as the state insect of the US state of Maryland on the list of state insects of the states of the United States . Although not officially justified, it is assumed that Euphydryas phaeton was chosen because of its coloration, since both the coat of arms of the state of Maryland and that of the largest city of this state, Baltimore , and the family coat of arms of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, are the colors black and yellow orange or golden yellow. The species is often referred to as the "Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly" in English.
features
butterfly
The wingspan of the moth is 51 to 64 millimeters. The front and rear wings show similar drawing elements on the upper side. The basic color is black to black-brown. The outer edge area is formed as a band of red-orange to yellow-orange spots. In front of it there are two to three rows of whitish dots. In the middle is a large and a small orange spot stand out. The undersides of the wings show a similar pattern to the upper sides, but are provided with significantly more large white dots.
Egg, caterpillar, pupa
The egg is yellow at first and turns orange after a few days.
Adult caterpillars have an orange to brownish color. They are curled with dark transverse lines on each segment and equipped with black, strongly branched thorns along the entire length of the body.
The doll is cream colored and has many black and some pink spots.
Distribution and occurrence
The range of the species extends over the southeast of Canada as well as the northeastern states of the USA and the Ozark plateau . Euphydryas phaeton prefers to colonize wet meadows, but was also found in dry areas in the southwestern occurrence areas.
Way of life
The moths fly in one generation, but regionally at different time periods; in Nova Scotia from June to late August, in Ottawa from mid-June to mid-July, and in the southern regions from mid-May to June. They like to suckle on flowers, but avoid those of shield flowers ( Celone ). When young, the caterpillars live in nests spun from silk threads at the top of the food plants. For wintering, they create a new nest near the ground. They feed on a variety of plants, for example figwort plants (Scrophulariaceae), valerian plants (Valerianoideae), honeysuckle plants (Caprifoliaceae), plantain plants (Plantaginaceae) and olive plants (Oleaceae). MD Bowers found out that the caterpillars are obviously inedible or poisonous for predators, since they are not eaten by the blue jay ( Cyanocitta cristata ), for example .
Subspecies
In addition to the nominate form Euphydryas phaeton phaeton , the following subspecies are listed:
- Euphydryas phaeton borealis Chermock , 1940
- Euphydryas phaeton ozarkae Masters , 1968
- Euphydryas phaeton streckeri Ellsworth , 1902
- Euphydryas phaeton superba Strecker , 1878
supporting documents
Individual evidence
- ^ Maryland at a Glance, State Symbols, Maryland State Insect http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/symbols/insect.html
- ↑ Butterflies and Moths of North America http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Euphydryas-phaeton
- ↑ a b c d e f James A. Scott: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1986, ISBN 0-8047-2013-4 , pp. 292/293
- ↑ M. Deane Bowers: Unpalatability as a defense strategy of Euphydryas phaeton (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Evolution 34, 1980, pp. 586-600
- ^ Encyclopedia of Life http://eol.org/pages/158472/names eol.org
literature
- James A. Scott (1986). The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4 , pp. 292/293
Web links
- www.nic.funet.fi - occurrence
- eol.org - Encyclopedia of Life