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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies (excluding skippers) (Papilionoidea) » Brushfooted Butterflies (Nymphalidae) » Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc. (Nymphalinae) » Nymphalini » Commas, Question Mark (Polygonia) » Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
Photo#9430
Question Mark - Polygonia interrogationis
Copyright © 2004 Robin McLeod

Question Mark - Polygonia interrogationis
Point Pelee, Ontario, Canada
May 8, 2004
I've noticed that in the Question Mark, the large black patch on the upperside of the forewing is surrounded by at least 6 black spots, whereas all the Eastern Commas I've seen never have more than 5 spots. Is this mentioned in any butterfly guides? Could it be a reliable field mark?

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Question Mark - Polygonia interrogationis Question Mark - tongue - Polygonia interrogationis
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Contributed by Robin McLeod on 2 January, 2005 - 10:55am

Sharp Eye
Yes, that does appear to be a fieldmark. Glassberg notes about the question mark, "the only anglewing with a small black horizontal bar in the subapical FW" (1). A pointer in the photograph makes it clear that the black bar mentioned is the 6th spot you're counting.

In some of the comma photos the spots run together, so perhaps checking for that particular spot rather than counting them is the way to go.
… Troy Bartlett, 2 January, 2005 - 10:00pm login or register to post comments

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