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Species Satyrodes appalachia - Appalachian Brown
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies)
Family Nymphalidae (Brushfooted Butterflies)
Subfamily Satyrinae (Nymphs, Satyrs and Arctic Butterflies)
Genus Satyrodes
Species appalachia (Appalachian Brown)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Numbers Two subspecies: the nominate subspecies and S. a. leeuwi; only subspecies leeuwi is found in Canada.
Numbers vary from scarce to common, but is never seen in abundance like the Eyed Brown. Identification Adult: wings medium brown. Lower side of forewing with the two end eyespots larger than the middle two; spots may not touch. Dark line inside the hindwing row spot is sinuous or gently curving (not zigzagged, as it is in the Eyed Brown).
Larva: very similar to the Eyed Brown, but the red on the head is only on the horns. Range Minnesota through southern Ontario & Quebec to Maine, south through the Appalachians and coastal plain to Florida, west to Mississippi. Habitat Wooded wet swamps, wet sedge areas near wood edges, and along slow-moving streams. Often wanders in small numbers throughout wooded areas, and is sometimes seen in dry woods, far from any wet area. Season Adults fly from late June to August or September in the north (one brood); June to October in the south (two broods). Food Larvae feed on leaves of sedges: Carex lacustris, C. stricta, and Giant Sedge (Rhynchospora inundata).
Adults feed on tree sap and other non-floral resources. Life Cycle Overwinters as a larva. One generation per year in the north; two in the south. Remarks Satyrodes appalachia was originally described as a subspecies of eurydice and was only discovered to be a distinct species in 1970 (Carde et al., 1970). The butterfly illustrated as eurydice in the first Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America, East of the Great Plains (Klots, 1951) is actually appalachia.
[text from Butterflies of Canada web site] See Also In the Eyed Brown, the dark line on the underside is zigzagged, not gently curved. Also, the Eyed Brown is habitat-restricted to areas of sedges, and is never found in dry woods far from any wet area. Even where large populations occur in extensive wet areas, Eyed Browns seldom stray any distance. Compare images of Eyed Brown and Appalachian Brown dorsal and ventral surfaces.
In the Northern Pearly-Eye, the wing margins are slightly scalloped, and the second eyespot on the forewings is always much smaller (sometimes absent on the upperside). See image of Northern Pearly-Eye. Internet References Butterflies and Skippers of North America pinned adult images, US distribution map, adult description, larval and adult food, habitat, flight season, habits (nearctica.com)
Butterflies of Canada pinned adult image, adult and larva description, distribution, similar species, larval food plants, habitat, abundance, flight season, habits (CBIF)
presence in Florida; list (Michael Thomas, Florida State Collection of Arthropods) Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 9 April, 2004 - 3:56pm Additional contributions by Robin McLeodLast updated 17 December, 2005 - 6:25pm |
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