anicia-like
Euphydryas chalcedona--a
This record describes Euphydryas chalcedona--a (species). Recorded family: Nymphalidae. Recorded order: Lepidoptera.
Identification and Appearance
This [perhaps artificial] category is created for those populations that have the genitalia of E. chalcedona , but with an over-all orange appearance more comparable to that of E. anicia . These populations occur primarily in the higher mountains to the west side of the Great Basin, where they sometimes occur near to or alongside of more typical larger and blacker E. chalcedona , yet they seem to remain distinctly different from them. Hopefully putting like-looking together with like-looking, will help to make these easier to understand, and also groups the most closely related insects together without having it seem so confusing.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
- Superfamily
- Papilionoidea
- Family
- Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
- Subfamily
- Nymphalinae
- Tribe
- Melitaeini
- Genus
- Euphydryas (Checkerspots)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
As a group, in the sierras from southern California into Oregon, and perhaps through the Cascades into British Columbia.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: The proper species name does not include the "a" at the end, this is just a qualifier added to make it posible to separate them from the bulk of the species.
About Butterflies and Moths: the wider group
Order-level background for Lepidoptera, the group containing Euphydryas chalcedona--a. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
Lepidoptera includes approximately 180,000 described species of butterflies and moths. Moths outnumber butterflies roughly 10:1. The monarch butterfly's eastern population has declined by more than 80% since the mid-1990s, and the western population by over 95% since the 1980s. The IUCN lists the migratory monarch as Vulnerable.
Ecological role of the group
Butterflies and moths are essential indicators of ecosystem health. As caterpillars, they are a primary food source for birds - a single nest of blue tit chicks requires ~10,000 caterpillars. Adult moths pollinate many night-blooming plants.
Economic and practical significance of the group
Lepidoptera are critical pollinators. In Europe, grassland butterfly species have declined by almost 50% since the early 1990s. In the UK, three-quarters of butterflies are in decline. In the U.S., five butterfly species have gone extinct since 1950, with 29 listed as endangered.
Recorded sources for this group: IUCN Red List, Xerces Society, USFWS, PNAS, WWF. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of anicia-like (5)
Photo credits: Contributed by David J. Ferguson; Additional contributions by Graham M