Species Apodemia mormo - Mormon Metalmark

Certain populations are variously recognized as distinct species by some authors, but maintained as subspecies of A. mormo by other authors. The treatment here splits the "Mormo Complex" into four species, following more recent and widely accepted treatments; however, it seems likely that only two species are really involved, with A. virgulti, mejicanus, and druyi being so similar as to be difficult to distinguish except by location. They differ from "true" A. mormo (at least usually) in having the upper surface much more reddish through the middle portions of the wings, and with the orange on the hind wings displacing mostly or entirely the white spots that are found there on A. mormo. These other "species" occur to the southeast, south, and southwest, or in some places at lower elevations than A. mormo.

19-32 mm

Much like A. virgulti & A. mejicanus, but hind wing with little or no orange coloring above, and with median row of white spots set on a dark background and usually edged in black.

Certain named populations of this type have been placed by some authors in A. virgulti or A. mejicanus based apparently on spring flights. However, this seems premature, and these populations look like A. mormo, cannot easily be visually separated from it. They are different in appearance virgulti/mejicanus (which may occur in normal orange coloration in the same general areas, and which apparently are different). These include the names dialeuca, dialeucoides, deserti, & mojavelimbus, plus a population of what looks to be typical A. mormo in the San Luis Valley in Colorado and New Mexico.

Western North America: British Columbia to Saskatchewan in Canada south into northern New Mexico, Sonora, and Baja California in the US and Mexico.

Mostly open gravelly or rocky areas, usually sloping, where hosts - Eriogonum species - grow.

In Southwest mostly a late season butterfly, with a main flight during August - October, but in some areas or in some years flights may occur as early as March and as late as November, and there may be one to three flights in a season. Northward mostly one brood in late spring or summer (late June - early September).

Larval food: Eriogonum spp. (Buckwheat) Adult flights tend to occur when host plants are flowering and adults favor those plants as nectar sources (but will use others as well).

A member of the Apodemia mormo complex, which are all considered as a single variable species by some authors, while other authors recognize varied numbers of distinct species. Apparently certain types that look different coexist in the same locations, yet remain distinct, which implies that in those areas there are at least two species. Relationships between various populations are still being sorted out.