Comstock's silverspot (''Speyeria callippe comstocki'') is a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of silverspot butterfly ranging from

northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

to Baja Mexico. Populations are near extirpation in the Santa Monica Mountains and it is now rare in the

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...

. The larvae feed on Johnny jumpup (''

Viola pedunculata ''Viola pedunculata'', the California golden violet, Johnny jump up, or yellow pansy, is a perennial yellow wildflower of the coast and coastal ranges in California and northwestern Baja California. The common name "Johnny jump up" is usually ...

''). It is a very close relative of the endangered callippe silverspot butterfly (''Speyeria callippe callippe''), which is another subspecies of '' Speyeria callippe''. Intermediate populations between these subspecies are fairly widespread.NatureServe access date Oct 20 2009 http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Speyeria+callippe+callippe

References

Speyeria Butterfly subspecies {{Heliconiinae-stub