''Chlosyne gorgone'', the gorgone checkerspot, is a species of
Nymphalinae
The Nymphalinae are a subfamily of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae). Sometimes, the subfamilies Limenitidinae, and Biblidinae are included here as subordinate tribe(s), while the tribe Melitaeini is occasionally regarded as a distinc ...
butterfly that occurs in North America.
Description
The wingspan is between 32 and 45 mm. The dorsal side of the wings are orange with black markings and the hindwings have a submarginal row of solid black dots. The ventral view has a zigzag pattern of brown and white bands with a median band of white chevrons.
Range and habitat
The gorgone checkerspot's range is in North America from
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
east to southern
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, south into central
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, between the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...
and
Appalachians
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
. Within its range they can most commonly be seen in open areas including ridges, prairies and old fields. They can also be seen at streamsides and in open hardwood forests.
Life cycle
In the northern range there is one brood between July and August, two in the mid-range between May and September and three in the southern range between April and September. The females lay their eggs in clusters on the underside of their host plants. Early
instar
An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...
caterpillars feed in groups and third-instar caterpillars hibernate.
Larval foods
* ''
Helianthus
''Helianthus'' () is a genus comprising about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers. Except for three South American species, the species of ''Helianthus'' are native to ...
'' species
* ''
Ambrosia trifida
''Ambrosia trifida'', the giant ragweed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.
Distribution
It is present in Europe a ...
''
* ''
Iva xanthifolia''
* ''
Viguiera multiflora''
Adult foods
*
Nectar
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
** Yellow flowers
References
* Calhoun, J. V. 2018. A checkered history: reconsidering the subspecific status of ''Chlosyne gorgone'' (Nymphalidae) in the southeast and beyond. News of the Lepidopterists' society 60:14-2
*
"''Chlosyne'' Butler, 1870"at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''. Accessed 2017-04-07
*
Gorgone Checkerspot Butterflies of Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chlosyne Gorgone
Chlosyne, gorgone
Butterflies of North America
Butterflies described in 1810
Taxa named by Jacob Hübner