Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nymphalidae Scientific name Chlosyne nycteis | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Chlosyne Rank Species | |
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Similar Chlosyne, Chlosyne gorgone, Pearl crescent, Phyciodes, Thorybes pylades | ||
Silvery checkerspot butterfly caterpillar nymphalidae chlosyne nycteis locomotion
The Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis) is a species of Nymphalinae that occurs in North America.
Contents
Description
The dorsal view is pale yellow-orange with dark borders and markings. The hindwing has a white centered submarginal spots on both sides, dorsal and ventral. The hindwing is pale and has a white crescent at the margin.
The caterpillar is almost all black with dusted white spots. Sometimes they have a yellow-orange stripe or two smaller stripes along the side. The Nymphalidae family is known for its branched spines.
Range & Habitat
Their range consist of southern Canada south to Georgia and Texas, but does not occur in the Costal Plains. Silvery Checkerspots enjoy moist areas such as streamsides. They can also be seen in meadows and forest openings.
Life cycle
In the northern portion of its habitat there is one brood between June and July, for the remainder of its range there are two broods from May to September. There have often been recorded three broods in the deep southern part of Texas. Females lay eggs in batches which there can be up to 100 individuals. Early instar caterpillars stay in groups as they skeletonize leaves while the third-instar hibernates.