Biology:Lethe anthedon

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Short description: Species of butterfly

Lethe anthedon
Northern Pearly-eye - Lethe anthedon, Meadowood Farm SRMA, Mason Neck, Virginia - 28524907924.jpg

Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Lethe
Species:
L. anthedon
Binomial name
Lethe anthedon
(A. Clark, 1936)[2]
Synonyms
  • Enodia anthedon (A. Clark, 1936)

Lethe anthedon, the northern pearly-eye, is a species of butterfly of the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae.[3][4][5][6] It is found in North America,[4][7] from central Saskatchewan and eastern Nebraska east to Nova Scotia, south to central Alabama and Mississippi.[8]

The MONA or Hodges number for Lethe anthedon is 4568.1.[6][9]

Description

The wingspan is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches (43–67 mm.)[8][10] 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 species, bearded shortgrass (Brachyelytrum erectum), Uniola latifolia, bottlebrush grass (Hystrix patula), and false melic grass (Schizachne purpurascens).[10] The host plants of a northern population include sedges (Carex species).[11]

The species overwinters in the larval stage.

Gallery

Subspecies

  • Lethe anthedon anthedon (A. Clark, 1936)
  • Lethe anthedon borealis (A. Clark, 1936)

Similar species


References

Further reading

  • Arnett, Ross H. (2000). American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico. CRC Press. 

Wikidata ☰ Q20539441 entry