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]
| Lethe anthedon | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| 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]
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| Synonyms | |
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The MONA or Hodges number for Lethe anthedon is 4568.1.[6][9]
Description
editThe 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), Chasmanthium latifolium, 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
edit-
Northern Pearly-eye in Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Woodbridge, Virginia -
Dorsal view -
Ventral view -
Larva
.jpg)
Subspecies
edit- Lethe anthedon anthedon (A. Clark, 1936)
- Lethe anthedon borealis (A. Clark, 1936)
Similar species
edit- Satyrodes appalachia / Lethe appalachia (R. L. Chermock, 1947) – Appalachian brown
- Satyrodes eurydice [Lethe eurydice] (Linnaeus, 1763) – eyed brown
References
edit- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Lethe anthedon Northern Pearly-Eye". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "BMNA Species Detail Northern Pearly Eye". Archived from the original on 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ "Lethe anthedon Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ^ a b "Lethe anthedon Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ^ "Lethe anthedon Overview". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ^ a b "North American Moth Photographers Group, Lethe anthedon". Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ^ "Species Enodia anthedon - Northern Pearly-Eye - BugGuide.net". Retrieved 2008-11-20.
- ^ a b Enodia anthedon, Butterflies and Moths of North America
- ^ Pelham, J.P. (1 July 2017). "A Catalog of the Butterflies of the United States and Canada". Retrieved 2018-02-12.
- ^ a b Northern Pearly-eye, Butterflies of Canada
- ^ Larval host plants of Enodia anthedon ... , The Taxonomic Report, Vol 7 No 6, 2014.
Further reading
edit- Arnett, Ross H. (2000). American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico. CRC Press.
