Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData

Species Vanessa annabella - West Coast Lady - Hodges#4436

Vanessa annabella West Coast Lady in Midwest - Vanessa annabella Anza-Borrego Caterpillar - Vanessa annabella West Coast Lady - Vanessa annabella Temperature regulation - Vanessa annabella Temperature regulation - Vanessa annabella Orange Butterfly - Vanessa annabella West Coast Lady - Vanessa annabella
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies and Skippers)
Family Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Subfamily Nymphalinae (Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc.)
Tribe Nymphalini
Genus Vanessa (Ladies and Red Admiral)
Species annabella (West Coast Lady - Hodges#4436)
Hodges Number
4436
Other Common Names
Western Painted Lady
Dama Cuatro Ojos
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Vanessa annabella (W. D. Field)
Orig. Comb: Cynthia annabella W. D. Field 1971.
Explanation of Names
Was known until 1971 as Vanessa carye. Typical V. carye is presumed to be South American. The two are virtually identical; both molecular and morphological differences are minimal (and possibly inconsistent?). Opinions vary, and distinction as separate species or not is debated. It seems possible that V. annabella could eventually be placed back into V. carye as a synonym, or considered as a subspecies. Our butterfly can sometimes be found listed under either name.
Identification
The Painted Lady averages somewhat larger. The forewings are more angular in appearance as compared to the other two "Lady" species, because of the squared wing tip. Marking-wise, the dark stripes on the upper surface are narrow, like American Lady. The second (subapical) bar on both surfaces of the forewing is orange in West Coast Lady, white on Painted Lady, and either color on American Lady. On the hindwings, there is more orange than Painted Lady and all four eyespots are equal in size and clearly filled in with blue. The American Lady only has two much larger eye spots on the hind wings.
Caterpillars are very similar to those of V. cardui, V. atalanta, and Nymphalis (Aglais) milbertii. They vary greatly in coloring from almost solid black through mottled grays and browns, to green, and may have prominent stripes within the pattern, or not. Pupae are varied in coloring as well, but are usually light brownish with a slight metallic sheen. They are very similar to those of other Vanessa species, but a bit more angular in shape than those of V. cardui and V. virginiensis.
Comparison of the three "Lady" species in America:


Left: Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui.
Center: West Coast Lady, Vanessa annabella.
Right: American Lady, Vanessa virginensis.
Range
Map - West coast from British Columbia to Guatemala and east to Alberta, Dakotas, w. Nebraska, w. Kansas, w. Oklahoma, and w. Texas; through most of Mexico. Becoming rare at it's eastern limits, where it may not be a permanent resident. Some seasons it strays further east than others, and it may appear far east of its usual distribution.
In South America V. carye continues the distribution from Colombia and Venezuela southward west of the tropical lowlands, and is common through much of Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Habitat
Not picky, but usually in open sunny areas and an avid visitor of many flowers.
Food
Mostly Urtica (Nettles) and many different Mallows (Malvaceae), but apparently also sometimes on certain Legumes (Alfalfa, Lupine). Caterpillars are often noticed on Garden Hollyhocks Alcea rosea.
Life Cycle
Seems to overwinter in various stages (larvae, pupae, adults), and has multiple generations per year in most areas. Probably not often overwintering north of about southern Utah and Colorado, but adults often appear as early as April even in the north. Additional information from Dimock, 1978 available online (1)
Remarks
Often, in fact usually, found flying alongside V. cardui, and similar in appearance and behavior to that species.
This species is closely related to, and sometimes hybridizes with the Red Admiral - V. atalanta, and the offspring look intermediate, resembling somewhat the Indian Red Admiral - Vanessa indica (an Asian species). This hybrid was named Vanessa atalanta variety edwardsi by F. Grinnell in 1918.

see:
Internet References
The Vanessa Migration Project. Help contribute to scientific knowledge about these butterflies.
Works Cited
1.Notes on the life cycle and natural history of Vanessa annabella (Nymphalidae).
Thomas E. Dimock. 1978. Journal of the Lepidoperists' Society 32(2): 88-96.