''Anthanassa frisia'', the Cuban crescentspot, Cuban checkerspot or Cuban crescent, is a

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 family Nymphalidae. Subspecies ''tulcis'' is known by the common names pale-banded crescent or Tulcis crescent; it is treated as a species by some authors. The nominate subspecies is found in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

and southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, with strays to northern Florida. Subspecies ''tulcis'' is found from

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

north through

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to southern

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 ...

, strays to west Texas and southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Other subspecies are resident to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. The wingspan of subspecies ''frisia'' is 32–45 mm. Adults are on wing most of the year in southern Florida and throughout the year in the tropics. Subspecies ''tulcis'' has a wingspan of 32–35 mm. Adults are on wing from May to November in southern Texas. Larvae of subspecies ''frisia'' feed on ''

Beloperone guttata ''Justicia brandegeeana'', the Mexican shrimp plant, shrimp plant or false hop, is an evergreen shrub in the genus '' Justicia'' of the acanthus family Acanthaceae, native to Mexico, and also naturalized in Florida. It grows to 1 m tall (rarely ...

'', while ''tulcis'' larvae have been recorded on ''

Dicliptera ''Dicliptera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. Well-known synonyms include ''Peristrophe'' and ''Dactylostegium''. Host plant Dicliptera functions as a host plant for the butterfly, Anartia fatima. ...

'' species. Other recorded food plants include ''

Ruellia ''Ruellia'' is a genus of flowering plants commonly known as ruellias or wild petunias. They are not closely related to petunias (''Petunia'') although both genera belong to the same euasterid clade. The genus was named in honor of Jean Ruelle ( ...

'' species. Adults feed on flower nectar.

Subspecies

*''Anthanassa frisia frisia'' (Cuba, Jamaica) *''Anthanassa frisia hermas'' (Brazil (Pernambuco, Bahia, São Paulo, Mato Grosso), Paraguay, northern Argentina, Ecuador) *''Anthanassa frisia taeniata'' (Ecuador, western Peru) *''Anthanassa frisia dubia'' (coasts of Venezuela and Colombia) *''Anthanassa frisia tulcis'' (Texas, Arizona, Mexico, Guatemala to Panama) Pale-banded crescent (Anthanassa tulcis) male.jpg, ''A. f. tulcis'', or ''A. tulcis'', male,

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

Tulcis Crescent (Anthanassa tulcis) ventral.jpg, ''A. f. tulcis'' Cuban checkerspot (Anthanassa frisia frisia) 2.JPG, ''A. f. frisia'',

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Cuban crescentspot (Anthanassa frisia hermas).JPG, ''A. f. hermas'',

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

External links

Cuban crescent at Butterflies and Moths of North AmericaTulcis crescent at Butterflies and Moths of North America
Melitaeini Nymphalidae of South America Butterflies of Jamaica Butterflies described in 1832 Taxa named by Felipe Poey {{Nymphalinae-stub