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Species Abaeis nicippe - Sleepy Orange - Hodges#4242

Little Yellow? - Abaeis nicippe What kind of butterfly is this? - Abaeis nicippe Sleepy Orange - Abaeis nicippe Sleepy Orange - Abaeis nicippe Sleepy Orange - Abaeis nicippe Lepidoptera --? - Abaeis nicippe Yellow Butterfly - Abaeis nicippe Sleepy Orange - Abaeis nicippe
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 Pieridae (Whites, Sulphurs, Yellows)
Subfamily Coliadinae (Sulphurs and Yellows)
Genus Abaeis
Species nicippe (Sleepy Orange - Hodges#4242)
Hodges Number
4242
Other Common Names
Sleepy Sulphur
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Abaeis nicippe (Cramer) - (see long discussion of placement in Abaeis here)
Orig. Comb: Papilio nicippe Cramer, 1779
Syn: Eurema nicippe (Cramer)
Explanation of Names
"sleepy" refers to relatively slow flight.
Size
Wingspan 35-57 mm
Identification
A medium-sized Pierid with a rather slow flight, usually close to the ground. Upperside of wings flash a lovely burnt orange. Underside of wings have variable markings: in winter form, underside of hindwing is brick red, brown, or tan; in summer form it is orange-yellow. Diagonal brown markings on underside of hindwings are distinguishable in all variations.
Range
e US and less commonly to s CA / s to C. Amer. / W. Indies - Map (MPG)
Habitat
Open areas, road sides, old fields with nectar and/or host plants.
Season
All year in southern parts of range, mid-summer to fall further north.
Food
Larvae feed on Cassia or Senna species (most former species of Cassia are now placed in Senna). In southeastern United States, the host is often Java-bean, also known as Sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia).