Species Microtia elada - Elada Checkerspot - Hodges#4513

Classification · Hodges Number · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · See Also

Mystery Butterfly - Microtia elada - female

Elada Checkerspot - Microtia elada - female

Checkerspot (Elda?) - Microtia elada - male

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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 Melitaeini

Genus Microtia (Tiny Checkerspots)

Species elada (Elada Checkerspot - Hodges#4513)

Hodges Number

4513

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Eresia elada Hewitson 1868. Type locality: Mexico

Melitaea callina Boisduval 1869. Type locality: confused and uncertain, perhaps Sonora, Mexico

Eresia socia R. Felder 1869. Type locality: Mexico

Melitaea ulrica W.H. Edwards 1877. Type locality: San Antonio, Texas

Melitaea imitata Strecker 1878. Type locality: vicinity of New Braunfels & San Antonio, Texas

Melitaea perse W.H. Edwards 1882. Type locality: Fort Grant and in Graham Mountains, Arizona

Phyciodes hepburni Godman 1901. Type locality: Chihuahua, Mexico

Texola elada (Hewitson) Higgins 1958

Texola elada ulrica (W.H. Edwards)

Texola elada perse (Hewitson)

Texola elada hepburni (Godman)

Chlosyne (subgenus Texola) elada (W.H. Edwards) D.L. Bauer [in Ehrlich & Ehrlich] 1961

Microtia elada (W.H. Edwards) D.D. Murphey, N.Wahlberg, I. Hanski & P.R. Ehrlich, 2004

Explanation of Names

The name M. perse is now sometimes treated as a separate species, occuring further west [CA, AZ, NM, SON] than more eastern M. elada ulrica [NM, TX, CHIH]. These do not seem to be well differentiated from one another when populations in adjacent parts of Sonora, Arizona, Chihuahua, west Texas, and New Mexico are compared, and do not seem to represent more than geographic variation, at most subspecies.

Identification

Most like Microtia dymas, differing in having an orange margin along the edge of the lower hind wing, and without a whitish spot near the middle of the front edge of the front wing. [or, sometimes with most of the median spot band pale.]. The abdomen has orange with black markings on top, but not a row of black-edged orange spots down the middle.

Range

southern Arizona to Texas and south into northern Mexico.