''Lethe anthedon'', the northern pearly-eye, is a species of
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
of the subfamily
Satyrinae
The Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a subfamily of the Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies). They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known divers ...
in the family
Nymphalidae.
It is found in North America,
from central
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
and eastern
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
east to
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
, south to central
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
and
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
[''Enodia anthedon'']
Butterflies and Moths of North America
The MONA or Hodges number for ''Lethe anthedon'' is
4568.1.
Description
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...
is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches (43–67 mm.)
[Northern Pearly-eye]
Butterflies of Canada
The upperside is brown with dark eyespots and the underside is brown. Adults feed on dung, fungi, carrion and sap from willows, poplars, and birches.
The larvae feed on various grasses, including '' Leersia virginica'', '' Erianthus'' species, ''Muhlenbergia
''Muhlenbergia'' is a genus of plants in the grass family.
The genus is named in honor of the German-American amateur botanist Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst Muhlenberg (1753-1815). Many of the species are known by the common name muhly.
The greatest ...
'' species, bearded shortgrass (''Brachyelytrum erectum
''Brachyelytrum erectum'', known as the southern shorthusk or the southern long-awned woodgrass, is a perennial grass native to North America. Its specific epithet "''erectum''" refers to the erect culms of the grass. Its diploid number is 22.
...
''), '' Uniola latifolia'', bottlebrush grass ('' Hystrix patula''), and false melic grass ('' Schizachne purpurascens'').[ The host plants of a northern population include sedges ('' Carex'' species).][Larval host plants of ''Enodia anthedon'' ... , The Taxonomic Report, Vol 7 No 6, 2014.]
The species overwinters in the larval stage.
Gallery
File:Northern Pearly-eye - Lethe anthedon, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Woodbridge, Virginia (34884705322).jpg, Northern Pearly-eye in Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Woodbridge, Virginia
File:Northern Pearly-eye, dorsal, Larose Forest.jpg, Dorsal view
File:Northern Pearly-eye, Megan McCarty111.jpg, Ventral view
File:Northern Pearly Eye, Side, Beltsville, MD 2013-10-25-10.28.43 ZS PMax.jpg, Larva
Subspecies
* ''Lethe anthedon anthedon'' (A. Clark, 1936)
* ''Lethe anthedon borealis'' (A. Clark, 1936)
Similar species
*'''' / '' Lethe appalachia'' (R. L. Chermock, 1947) – Appalachian brown
*'' Satyrodes eurydice'' 'Lethe eurydice''">Lethe_eurydice.html" ;"title="'Lethe eurydice">'Lethe eurydice''/small> (Linnaeus, 1763) – eyed brown
References
Further reading
*
Satyrini
Butterflies described in 1936
{{Satyrini-stub