euphydryas gillettii , the gillette 's checkerspot , is a species of butterfly , common in western north america from british columbia to oregon and from the rocky mountains to the pacific ocean .

the wingspan is 36 – 45 mm ( 1.4 – 1.8 in ) .

adults fly from mid-june to early august in alberta .

caterpillars feed on bracted honeysuckle ( lonicera involucrata ) .

euphydryas gillettii

species euphydryas gillettii - gillett ' s checkerspot - hodges # 4521 - bugguide . net
long range dispersal in checkerspot butterflies : transplant experiments with euphydryas gillettii . - pubmed - ncbi
similar species : euphydryas gillettii differs from the other western checkerspots in having a broad orange - red band along the wing margin .
williams , e . h . 1981 . thermal influences on oviposition in the montane butterfly euphydryas gillettii . oecologia 50 ( 3 ) : 342 - 346 .
williams , e . h . 1988 . habitat and range of euphydryas gillettii ( nymphalidae ) . journal of the lepidopterists ' society 42 ( 1 ) : 37 - 45 .
williams , e . h . 1988b . habitat and range of euphydryas gillettii ( nyphalidae ) . journal of the lepidopterists ' society 42 ( 1 ) : 37 - 45 .
williams , e . h . 1995 . fire - burned habitat and reintroduction of the butterfly euphydryas gillettii ( nymphalidae ) . journal of the lepidopterists ' society 49 : 183 - 191 .
williams , e . h . 1995 . fire - burned habitat and reintroduction of the butterfly euphydryas gillettii ( nymphalidae ) . journal of the lepidopterists ' society 49 : 183 - 191 .
williams , e . h . 2012 . population loss and gain in the rare butterfly euphydryas gillettii ( nymphalidae ) . journal of the lepidopterists ? society 66 ( 3 ) : 147 - 155 .
williams , e . h . and m . d . bowers . 1987 . factors affecting host plant use by the montane butterfly euphydryas gillettii ( nymphalidae ) . american midland naturalist 118 : 153 - 161 .
williams , e . h . and m . d . bowers . 1987 . factors affecting host plant use by the montane butterfly euphydryas gillettii ( nymphalidae ) . american midland naturalist 118 ( 1 ) : 153 - 161 .
williams , e . h . , c . e . holdren , and p . r . ehrlich . 1984 . the life history and ecology of euphydryas gillettii barnes ( nymphalidae ) . journal of the lepidopterists ' society 38 : 1 - 12 .
home » guide » arthropods ( arthropoda ) » hexapods ( hexapoda ) » insects ( insecta ) » butterflies and moths ( lepidoptera ) » butterflies and skippers ( papilionoidea ) » brush - footed butterflies ( nymphalidae ) » crescents , checkerspots , anglewings , etc . ( nymphalinae ) » melitaeini » checkerspots ( euphydryas ) » gillett ' s checkerspot - hodges # 4521 ( euphydryas gillettii )
williams , e . h . , c . e . holdren , and p . r . ehrlich . 1984 . the life history and ecology of euphydryas gillettii barnes ( nymphalidae ) . journal of the lepidopterists ' society 38 ( 1 ) : 1 - 12 .
transfers of eggs and larvae from montane wyoming populations of euphydryas gillettii south to locations in the central colorado mountains have resulted in the establishment of at least one colorado population . this result shows that the previous absence of the species from colorado was the result of its inability to cross the barrier of the wyoming basin , not the ecological unsuitability of colorado habitats . this , in turn , supports the contention that euphydryas do not easily disperse long distances .
ehrlich , p . r . and d . d . murphy . 1981 . the population biology of checkerspot butterflies ( euphydryas ) . biologisches zentralblatt 100 : 613 - 629 .
vaughan , d . m . , and m . d . shepherd . 2005 . species profile : euphydryas gillettii . in shepherd , m . d . , d . m . vaughan , and s . h . black ( eds ) . red list of pollinator insects of north america . cd - rom version 1 ( may 2005 ) . portland , or : the xerces society for invertebrate conservation .
diagnosis : this medium - sized ( wingspan : 36 to 45 mm ) checkerspot is the most distinctive of the four members of its genus found in western canada . the upperside is black , with a band of large orange - red spots and smaller white spots . it is the only one of the euphydryas with a broad orange - red band close to the margin of each wing . as with most euphydryas , the underside is similar to the upperside .
there are few good data for most species , but some of the california euphydryas taxa have been intensively studied by paul ehrlich and others as have some comparable european species . these data and many casual observations all suggest metapopulation structures are common and that females sometimes leave colonies and disperse for kilometers even into and through urban areas and even rarely between low peaks . an extreme example might be euphydryas phaeton around new haven connecticut at least into the 1980s ( before plantago was adopted as a primary foodplant ) . valley marsh chelone feeding populations would sporadically colonize ridgetops and produce colonies on aureolaria . these colonies usually did not persist more than a year or two but periodically reappeared . at the same time wetland colonies sometimes were wiped out when population explosions caused larval starvation , but such places got recolonized within a few years ( observations of d . schweitzer and others ) . chlossyne harrisii also is subject to frequent extirpation and recolonization at least southward . gatrelle and others report that even the highly restricted phyciodes batesii maconensis moves along forest roads . within most of its range p . tharos will reliably find virtually every patch of suitable asters , even colonizing single large plants left in lawns . it appears then that populations within a few kilometers will usually be somewhat connected . as with most lepidoptera , contiguous suitable habitat is rarely only partially occupied . if the species occurs at all , all such habitat should be assumed occupied at least some of the time . however , for practical considerations observations more than 10 kilometers apart should be considered separate pending more information . both distances are arbitrary but seem consistent with what is known .
range : restricted in range to a few states of the northwestern u . s . and adjacent canada . it occurs in the front range of the rocky mountains in alberta north to nordegg , and at procter lake and mcgillivary , in extreme southeastern british columbia .
early stages : the mature larva is dingy yellow with a lemon - yellow dorsal stripe and white lateral stripes . the spines are yellow on the back and black on the sides . the usual foodplant is bracted honeysuckle ( lonicera involucrata ) , but several other plants are occasionally used after hibernation , in the spring .
abundance : very localized , but it can be fairly common where it occurs .
flight season : this checkerspot has been recorded from mid - june to early august in alberta .
habits : localized to moist meadows , usually near streams , in mountain valleys . the males perch on tall flowers and conifers . they have a weak flight .
remarks : gillette ' s checkerspot is more closely related to some asian checkerspots than the other american species .
© 2002 . this material is reproduced with permission from the butterflies of canada by ross a . layberry , peter w . hall , and j . donald lafontaine . university of toronto press ; 1998 . specimen photos courtesy of john t . fowler .
gillett’s checkerspot is a striking and beautiful butterfly with a distinctive orange - red submarginal band across the predominately dark - brown to black wings . it may be found in a variety of damp habitats in mountains , including open , moist conifer forests , moist meadows , and streamsides . gillett’s checkerspot is rare throughout its range ( southeast british columbia , southwest alberta , montana , eastern idaho , and western wyoming ) . it usually occurs as widely scattered , isolated colonies . its habitat is prone to disturbance by grazing .
gillett’s checkerspot is rare throughout its range . it usually occurs as widely scattered , isolated colonies . its habitat is sometimes unstable and prone to disturbance by grazing . most colonies are on unprotected land . those that occur in national parks , for example , may have some protection , but if grazing is allowed then they cannot be considered protected . in the state of montana , gillett’s checkerspot is listed as a species of concern .
gillett’s checkerspot is a striking and beautiful medium sized butterfly in the family nymphalidae ( brush - footed butterflies ) . it has a wingspan of 38 to 48 mm . the upperside of the wings are predominately dark - brown to black ( closer to the body ) , with a wide orange - red submarginal band and other cell - spots of red and white . the white spots appear as bands broken by dark - brown . the underside is similar , although with less dark - brown and more white spots . the orange - red submarginal band is a distinctive feature . pyle ( 2002 ) states : “no other checkers look red - banded . ”
the mature larva is dingy yellow with a lemon - yellow dorsal stripe and white lateral stripes . the spines are yellow on the back and black on the sides .
gillett’s checkerspot may be found in a variety of damp habitats in mountains , including open , moist conifer forests , moist meadows , and streamsides . larval hostplants include twinberry honeysuckle ( lonicera involucrata ) , common snowberry ( symphoricarpos albus ) , and american alpinespeedwell ( veronica wormskjoldii ) .
there is one flight period from june to august . during this period males patrol or perch high in trees or tall vegetation searching for females . the adults are very local and remain near hostplants . eggs are laid in groups on the underside of hostplant leaves during july . young caterpillars aggregate in silk nests and feed on leaves and buds . they separate to complete development in spring . the length of life cycle and timing of hibernation varies with altitude . at low elevations , the life cycle is completed in a single year , with fourth instar caterpillars hibernating . at high altitudes , caterpillars need two years to complete development . in the first year they feed briefly and hibernate as early - instar caterpillars . they resume feeding in the second summer and hibernate again as fifth instars .
very local in southeast british columbia , southwest alberta , montana , eastern idaho , and western wyoming . there is a single population of this species in eastern oregon .
the biggest threat is from grazing whether by native ungulates or introduced livestock . colonies of gillett’s checkerspot are isolated and susceptible to extirpation by apparently small changes . excessive grazing in one season could destroy a colony .
the important issue is to ensure an adequate abundance of larval hostplants by maintaining the vegetation at an appropriate successional stage . this may require managing grazing both of livestock and native ungulates .
pyle , r . m . 2002 . the butterflies of cascadia . a field guide to all the species of washington , oregon , and surrounding territories . seattle audubon society , seattle , wa .
scott , j . a . 1986 . the butterflies of north america . stanford university press , stanford , ca .
tilden , j . w . 1986 . a field guide to western butterflies . houghton - mifflin co . , boston , ma .
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is resident to parts of montana , wyoming , idaho , the dakotas and alberta ( scott 1986 ) . habitats are moist valley openings and meadows near strams and conifers ( mostly spruce and pine ) , sometimes with sagebrush nearby , and hudsonian zone meadows in central wyoming . host plants can be shrubs or herbs and include species from several families , including caprifoliaeae , scrophulariaceae , and valerianaceae . individuals overwinter as larvae ( of different stages depending on altitude ) . there is one flight each year with the approximate flight time late june to july 31 ; subalpine ecotypes fly late july - aug . 15 ( scott 1986 ) .
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[ from ferris and brown 1981 ; scott 1986 ; glassberg 2001 ; pyle 2002 ] forewing 2 . 0 - 2 . 5 cm . upperwings predominantly black on the basal 2 / 3 , with red and white spot - bands , a distinctive orange - red submarginal band across the predominately dark - brown to black wings ; underwings with alternating bands of cream and bright brick - red with black veins and borders of spot - bands .
one flight ; mostly late june to july ( late july to mid - august for subalpine sites ) , with a short flight season ( scott 1986 ; glassberg 2001 ) ; mid - june to late july in british columbia ( guppy and shepard 2001 ) ; june to mid - august ( williams et al . 1984 ) .
the orange - red submarginal band across the predominately dark - brown to black forewings and hindwings is distinctive .
in the rocky mountains , from southern alberta and extreme eastern british columbia south through northern idaho , western montana and western wyoming ( ferris and brown 1981 ; scott 1986 ; williams 1988 ; glassberg 2001 ) ; between 975 - 2620m elevation . in montana , reported from most counties in the western ( mountainous ) third of the state ( kohler 1980 ; stanford and opler 1993 ) ; between 975 - 2225 m elevation . locally rare ( glassberg 2001 ) .
montane areas in wet meadows , marshy sites , along small streams , open riparian habitat ; tree canopy predominantly lodgepole pine , engelmann spruce , subalpine fir , sometimes with willow , cottonwood , aspen , often in fire - disturbed locations ( williams et al . 1984 ; scott 1986 ; williams 1988 , 1995 ; guppy and shepard 2001 ) . habitat in montana as described above ( williams 1988 ) ; in glacier national park , reported in montane mesic meadows and woodlands ( debinski 1993 ) .
using personal observations and reviewing literature that summarize the breeding , overwintering , or migratory habitat requirements of each species ( dobkin 1992 , hart et al . 1998 , hutto and young 1999 , maxell 2000 , foresman 2012 , adams 2003 , and werner et al . 2004 ) ;
calculating the percentage of observations associated with each ecological system relative to the percent of montana covered by each ecological system to get a measure of
observations versus availability of habitat
.
species that breed in montana were only evaluated for breeding habitat use , species that only overwinter in montana were only evaluated for overwintering habitat use , and species that only migrate through montana were only evaluated for migratory habitat use . in general , species were listed as associated with an ecological system if structural characteristics of used habitat documented in the literature were present in the ecological system or large numbers of point observations were associated with the ecological system . however , species were not listed as associated with an ecological system if there was no support in the literature for use of structural characteristics in an ecological system ,
point observations were associated with that system . common versus occasional association with an ecological system was assigned based on the degree to which the structural characteristics of an ecological system matched the preferred structural habitat characteristics for each species as represented in scientific literature . the percentage of observations associated with each ecological system relative to the percent of montana covered by each ecological system was also used to guide assignment of common versus occasional association . if you have any questions or comments on species associations with ecological systems , please contact the montana natural heritage program ' s senior zoologist .
species associations with ecological systems should be used to generate potential lists of species that may occupy broader landscapes for the purposes of landscape - level planning . these potential lists of species should not be used in place of documented occurrences of species ( this information can be requested at :
) or systematic surveys for species and evaluations of habitat at a local site level by trained biologists . users of this information should be aware that the land cover data used to generate species associations is based on imagery from the late 1990s and early 2000s and was only intended to be used at broader landscape scales . land cover mapping accuracy is particularly problematic when the systems occur as small patches or where the land cover types have been altered over the past decade . thus , particular caution should be used when using the associations in assessments of smaller areas ( e . g . , evaluations of public land survey sections ) . finally , although a species may be associated with a particular ecological system within its known geographic range , portions of that ecological system may occur outside of the species ' known geographic range .
adams , r . a . 2003 . bats of the rocky mountain west ; natural history , ecology , and conservation . boulder , co : university press of colorado . 289 p .
dobkin , d . s . 1992 . neotropical migrant land birds in the northern rockies and great plains . usda forest service , northern region . publication no . r1 - 93 - 34 . missoula , mt .
foresman , k . r . 2012 . mammals of montana . second edition . mountain press publishing , missoula , montana . 429 pp .
hart , m . m . , w . a . williams , p . c . thornton , k . p . mclaughlin , c . m . tobalske , b . a . maxell , d . p . hendricks , c . r . peterson , and r . l . redmond . 1998 . montana atlas of terrestrial vertebrates . montana cooperative wildlife research unit , university of montana , missoula , mt . 1302 p .
hutto , r . l . and j . s . young . 1999 . habitat relationships of landbirds in the northern region , usda forest service , rocky mountain research station rmrs - gtr - 32 . 72 p .
maxell , b . a . 2000 . management of montana ' s amphibians : a review of factors that may present a risk to population viability and accounts on the identification , distribution , taxonomy , habitat use , natural history , and the status and conservation of individual species . report to u . s . forest service region 1 . missoula , mt : wildlife biology program , university of montana . 161 p .
werner , j . k . , b . a . maxell , p . hendricks , and d . flath . 2004 . amphibians and reptiles of montana . missoula , mt : mountain press publishing company . 262 p .
larval food plants predominantly lonicera involucrata and to a lesser extent valeriana occidentalis ( williams et al . 1984 ; williams and bowers 1987 ) . oviposition reported on other plant species , including castilleja , pedicularis , symphoricarpus , and veronica ; larvae feed on plantago in captivity ( scott 1986 ; williams 1988 ) . adults feed on flower nectar ( including achillia , agoseris , antennaria , arnica , aster , chrysanthemum , cirsium , geranium , geum , helianthella , heracleum , polygonum , potentilla , rosa , saxifraga , senecio , solidago , valeriana ) and mud ( williams 1988 , 1995 ; scott 2014 ) .
females lay eggs in masses on the undersides of host plant green leaves that tend to intercept morning sun ; wyoming masses in the beartooth mountains average 146 eggs ( 23 - 310 eggs ) , masses in the teton mountains average 130 eggs . egg loss from masses ranges from 13 - 30 % . eggs hatch from july to september , 23 - 45 days after laying . newly emerged larvae shortly migrate to the upper surface of leaves where they form a communal feeding web and remain together overwinter . diapause ( overwintering ) can occur in l2 - l4 instars , depending on duration prior to onset of winter . larvae terminate diapause shortly after spring snow melt ( late may to mid - june ) ; most larvae diapause a second winter as l5 before pupating . l5 instars move away from host plants and pupate within 50 cm of the ground ; pupation to adult emergence requires about 21 days ( williams 1981 ; williams et al . 1984 ) . males patrol near conifer tree tops in search of females , and mating typically occurs in or near the tops of trees .
debinski , d . 1993 . butterflies of glacier national park , montana . occasional papers of the museum of natural history , the university of kansas , lawrence , kansas . no . 159 : 1 - 13 .
ferris , c . d . and f . m . brown ( eds ) . 1981 . butterflies of the rocky mountains . univ . of oklahoma press . norman . 442 pp .
glassberg , j . 2001 . butterflies through binoculars : a field guide to the butterflies of western north america . oxford university press .
guppy , c . s . and j . h . shepard . 2001 . butterflies of british columbia : including western alberta , southern yukon , the alaska panhandle , washington , northern oregon , northern idaho , northwestern montana . ubc press ( vancouver , bc ) and royal british columbia museum ( victoria , bc ) . 414 pp .
kohler , s . 1980 . checklist of montana butterflies ( rhopalocera ) . journal of the lepidopterists ' society 34 ( 1 ) : 1 - 19 .
pyle , r . m . 2002 . the butterflies of cascadia : a field guide to all the species of washington , oregon , and surrounding territories . seattle audubon society , seattle , washington . 420 pp .
scott , j . a . 1986 . the butterflies of north america : a natural history and field guide . stanford university press , stanford , california .
scott , j . a . 2014 . lepidoptera of north america 13 . flower visitation by colorado butterflies ( 40 , 615 records ) with a review of the literature on pollination of colorado plants and butterfly attraction ( lepidoptera : hersperioidea and papilionoidea ) . contributions of the c . p . gillette museum of arthopod diversity . fort collins , co : colorado state university . 190 p .
stanford , r . e . and p . a . opler . 1993 . atlas of western usa butterflies : including adjacent parts of canada and mexico . unpubl . report . denver and fort collins , colorado 275 pp .
allen , t . j . , j . p . brock , and j . glassberg . 2005 . caterpillars in the field and garden : a field guide to the butterfly caterpillars of north america . oxford university press .
brock , j . p . and k . kaufman . 2003 . kaufman field guide to butterflies of north america . houghton mifflin company , new york , ny 284 pp .
layberry , r . a . , p . w . hall , and j . d . lafontaine . 1998 . the butterflies of canada . university of toronto press . 280 pp . + color plates .
opler , p . a . and a . b . wright . 1999 . a field guide to western butterflies . second edition . peterson field guides . houghton mifflin company , boston , massachusetts . 540 pp .
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opler , p . a . , and a . d . warren . 2002 . butterflies of north america . 2 . scientific names list for butterfly species of north america , north of mexico . c . p . gillette museum of arthropod diversity , department of bioagricultural sciences and pest management , colorado state university , fort collins , colorado . 79 pp .
this moderately widespread mountain species occurs mostly as very widely scattered , localized , and usually small populations , apparently with little or no gene flow in most cases . quite possibly no populations would qualify for an eorank of greater than c . probably only about 100 occurrences are known ( 31 indicated for canada by layberry et al . , 1998 but some may not be extant ) and this has been looked for more than most butterflies . this is a distinctive species which , unlike almost all congeners , should be recognized when seen . habitats sometimes unstable . it is not clear whether climate change is a threat but that is not factored in to the rank for now .
due to latency between updates made in state , provincial or other natureserve network databases and when they appear on natureserve explorer , for state or provincial information you may wish to contact the data steward in your jurisdiction to obtain the most current data . please refer to
rocky mountains in southern alberta , montana , western wyoming , and central idaho ( williams , 1988 ; opler , 1999 ) . also transplanted to gunnison county , colorado by stanford university scientists ( ehrlich and murphy , 1981 ) , but possibly now extirpated there . very localized , and the range perhaps more fragmented than mapped by brock and kaufman ( 2003 ) .
isolation of colonies makes species vulnerable to permanent local extirpation from any kind of temporary habitat disruption including browsing by large ungulates . populations could be very quickly ( one season ) eradicated if grazing were severe enough . the loss of populations in the central and northern rocky mountains is attributed to conspicuous changes in vegetation , due to the drying of meadow habitat ( williams 2012 ) .
surveys showed that seven of 14 populations in the central and northern rocky mountains disappeared between 1982 - 1984 and 2002 - 2006 ; two of these populations were among the largest known in the 1980s ( williams 2012 ) .
( 20 , 000 - 200 , 000 square km ( about 8000 - 80 , 000 square miles ) ) rocky mountains in southern alberta , montana , western wyoming , and central idaho ( williams , 1988 ; opler , 1999 ) . also transplanted to gunnison county , colorado by stanford university scientists ( ehrlich and murphy , 1981 ) , but possibly now extirpated there . very localized , and the range perhaps more fragmented than mapped by brock and kaufman ( 2003 ) .
valleys , glades , open wooded areas in mountains , often near streams ( williams , 1988 ) . very local and stays near larval foodplants : primarily twinberry ( lonicera involucrata ) and speedwell . probably also must be fairly abundant nectar flowers . finding large stands of the foodplants is the key to searching for this species .
caterpillars feed primarily on lonicera involucrata when young . may use a wider array of hosts after winter is passed ( williams and bowers , 1987 ) . adults nectar at various flowers including wild geranium and yellow composites .
eggs are laid on host plant in july , larvae develop and overwinter in masses . in spring , larvae separate , complete development , and pupate ( williams et al . 1984 ) .
a location where a population occurs , or has occurred , where there is potential for persistence or continued recurrence . minimally a place where the species has been verified where there is adequate larval foodplant , nectar and overall habitat to sustain a population . repeated occurrences of adults out of habitat on flowers , e . g . in gardens are not occurrences . verification standards vary with species . for all a collected specimen is preferable except with taxa for which this would be illegal . good photographs will always , almost always , or sometimes suffice depending on species and locality . photographs are much more likely to suffice if both the upper and underside are clearly shown .
in general larval foodplants , but sometimes also nectar plants , are the main basis for eos . these plus general habitat features can be used as boundaries . with metapopulations the separate demes often should be mapped . consult habitat and foodplant comments fields for species - specific information on what constitutes suitable habitat when mapping occurrences for individual species .
multiple colonies within an overall community matrix such as openings within pine barrens or savannas , or foodplant patches within a wetland complex , prairie remnant , canyon or along a stream should generally be treated as one metapopulation occurrence by using the suitable habitat distance , especially if the foodplant occurs to some degree between the colonies .
in the overwhelming majority of situations with most taxa likely to be tracked and mapped the inferred extent is simply the entire contiguous or nearly contiguous suitable habitat , which will usually be a few hundred hectares or less or a fairly obvious collection of patches within a well defined community . however in situations with extensive contiguous habitat or closely proximate patches ( e . g . along a ridgetop or along a river ) it is unreasonable to assume it is consistently unoccupied , but occupancy should not be inferred over more than 2 kilometers without additional data .
use the generic guidelines for the application of occurrence ranks ( 2008 ) . the key for ranking species occurrences using the generic approach provides a step - wise process for implementing this method .
zoological data developed by natureserve and its network of natural heritage programs ( see local programs ) and other contributors and cooperators ( see sources ) .
bird , c . d . , g . i . hilchie , n . g . kondla , e . m . pike , and f . a . h . sperling . 1995 . alberta butterflies . the provincial museum of alberta : edmonton , alberta . 349 pp .
brock , j . p . , and k . kaufman . 2003 . butterflies of north america . kaufman focus field guides , houghton mifflin company , new york , ny 284 pp .
ferris , c . d . and f . m . brown ( eds ) . 1981 . butterflies of the rocky mountains . university of oklahoma press . norman . 442 pp .
layberry , r . a . , p . w . hall , and j . d . lafontaine . 1998 . the butterflies of canada . university of toronto press : toronto , canada . 280 pp . + color plates .
opler , p . a . , and a . b . wright . 1999 . a field guide to western butterflies . second edition . peterson field guides . houghton mifflin company , boston , massachusetts . 540 pp .
opler , p . a . ( chair ) , j . m . burns , j . d . lafontaine , r . k . robbins , and f . sperling . 1998 . scientific names of north american butterflies . fort collins , co . unpublished review draft .
opler , paul a . , harry pavulaan , and ray e . stanford . 2000 . august 17 - last update . butterflies of north america . jamestown , nd : northern prairie wildlife research center home page . online . available : urltoken d / bflyusa / bflyusa . htm .
pelham , j . p . 2008 . a catalogue of the butterflies of the united states and canada with a complete bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature . the journal of research on the lepidoptera . volume 40 . 658 pp .
scott , j . a . 1986 . the butterflies of north america : a natural history and field guide . stanford university press , stanford ca . 583 pp .
stanford , ray e . and paul a . opler . 1993 . atlas of western u . s . a . butterflies , including adjacent parts of canada and mexico . self - published , denver , co . 265 pp .
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natureserve . 2017 . natureserve explorer : an online encyclopedia of life [ web application ] . version 7 . 1 . natureserve , arlington , virginia . available http : / / explorer . natureserve . org . ( accessed :
ridgely , r . s . , t . f . allnutt , t . brooks , d . k . mcnicol , d . w . mehlman , b . e . young , and j . r . zook . 2003 . digital distribution maps of the birds of the western hemisphere , version 1 . 0 . natureserve , arlington , virginia , usa .
data provided by natureserve in collaboration with robert ridgely , james zook , the nature conservancy - migratory bird program , conservation international - cabs , world wildlife fund - us , and environment canada - wildspace .
patterson , b . d . , g . ceballos , w . sechrest , m . f . tognelli , t . brooks , l . luna , p . ortega , i . salazar , and b . e . young . 2003 . digital distribution maps of the mammals of the western hemisphere , version 1 . 0 . natureserve , arlington , virginia , usa .
data provided by natureserve in collaboration with bruce patterson , wes sechrest , marcelo tognelli , gerardo ceballos , the nature conservancy - migratory bird program , conservation international - cabs , world wildlife fund - us , and environment canada - wildspace .
iucn , conservation international , and natureserve . 2004 . global amphibian assessment . iucn , conservation international , and natureserve , washington , dc and arlington , virginia , usa .
data developed as part of the global amphibian assessment and provided by iucn - world conservation union , conservation international and natureserve .
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department of biological sciences , stanford university , 94305 , stanford , california , usa .


the bright-line brown-eye ( lacanobia oleracea ) is a moth of the family noctuidae .

it is a common species throughout europe , but is also found in north africa ( morocco and algeria ) , temperate north asia and central asia , asia minor , syria , and turkestan , northern india , china , korea and japan .

this species common name is usefully descriptive : the forewings are dark reddish-brown marked with a prominent light orange-brown stigma and a bright white subterminal line .

the hindwings are grey , darker towards the termen .

the wingspan is 34 – 44 mm .

they are attracted to light , sugar and nectar-rich flowers .

bright - line brown - eye

the bright–line brown - eye moth is a common species found throughout most of the british isles .
the caterpillar of the bright - line brown - eye caterpillars reach 40mm when fully grown and are variable shades of brown .
bright - line brown - eye ( lacanobia oleracea ) - norfolk moths - the macro and micro moths of norfolk .
the forewings are uniformly brown in colour with a fine white outer cross - line forming a w ( the bright - line ) and an orange blotch kidney - mark ( the brown - eye ) .
a moth on the wing in midsummer , the bright - line brown - eye ( lacanobia oleracea ) may not have an exactly a catchy title but it is an apt one as you will see on the fore - wings there is a bright ( white in fact ) line running across near the outer edge which looks like an ecg print with a couple of blips on it ! further up towards the centre of the wing is a brown colour spot or eye . so bright - line brown - eye it is then .
bright line brown eye is found in a variety of habitats such as gardens , greenhouses , on farmland , along rivers or forest clearings . it prefers humid and nutrient - rich sites . the pupae hibernate in the soil . the adult moth normally emerges in may with slight variation in timing according to temperature . bright line brown eye is spread worldwide and causes immense damage in vegetable cultivation .
light - brown moths with a white zig - zagging line and two reddish mark on each wing .
a distinctive feature is a sprinkling of white specks and more pronounced black spots over most of the body . a side on view also reveals a broad yellowish line just beneath the spiracular line .
wingspan 32 - 37 mm . this moth doesn ' t tend to vary in appearance , except perhaps in the shade of brown of the forewings .
the adult moth has a wing span of about 35mm , is overall a warm lightish brown with some slightly darker specimens . the moths name refers to the two most obvious identifying features – the white line incorporating a ‘w’ which extends across the forewing close to the outer edge and the orangey blotch in the kidney mark .
a common species over most of the british isles , which doesn ' t tend to vary in appearance , except perhaps in the shade of brown of the forewings .
chewing damage is visible on young leaves , stems , flowers and fruits . moths are light brown with a white zigzag line ( w - like ) and a characteristic kidney - like reddish mark on each wing . the females lays eggs in groups of about 150 units and place them on the leaves undersides of their host plants . the eggs are initially light green and later somewhat darker green to ash - grey . caterpillars reach a size of up to 5 cm and their color ranges from green to dark brown , with white and black speckles and a yellow stripe on each flank .
for most small scale growing of tomato crops in greenhouse and conservatories the use of insecticide sprays are unnecessary and can kill many other beneficial insects . keeping an eye open for the first sign of leaf damage and immediately removing the caterpillars as described above is both effective and more environmentally friendly .
we are extremely grateful to the many people who contributed their own rearing records of lepidoptera or personal accumulations of data for inclusion in the hosts database , particularly mike bigger ( uk ) , john w . brown ( usa ) , chris conlan ( usa ) , rob ferber ( usa ) , konrad fiedler ( germany ) , jeremy holloway ( uk ) , frank hsu ( usa ) , jurie intachat ( malaysia ) , alec mcclay ( canada ) , bill palmer ( australia ) , pierre plauzoles ( usa ) and the generous individuals who contributed rearing records through the worldwideweb and who are known to us only as an email address .
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gaden s . robinson , phillip r . ackery , ian j . kitching , george w . beccaloni and luis m . hernández
records of caterpillar hostplants are scattered through published and manuscript sources worldwide and are difficult to retrieve . many rearing records are never published and so are not accessible to other entomologists . but collected hostplant records form a valuable scientific resource that can be used eventually to answer broader biological questions about how lepidoptera and plants interact ( eg , letourneau , hagen & robinson , 2001 ) . it provides information of immediate relevance to agriculture , ecology , forestry , conservation and taxonomy .
hosts brings together an enormous body of information on what the world ' s butterfly and moth ( lepidoptera ) caterpillars eat . the web - based version presented here offers a synoptic data set drawn from about 180 , 000 records comprising taxonomically ' cleaned ' hostplant data for about 22 , 000 lepidoptera species drawn from about 1600 published and manuscript sources . it is not ( and cannot be ) exhaustive , but it is probably the best and most comprehensive compilation of hostplant data available .
we hope that it will be useful to a wide range of biologists and that it will act as a spur to further recording and analysis of caterpillar - plant interactions .
hosts can be searched in two ways , using text search and drill - down search modes .
in text search mode , use either lepidoptera or hostplant criteria or a combination of the two . hosts operates only using scientific names . it is not possible to search for the hostplants of the red admiral butterfly but a search for hostplants using its scientific name , vanessa atalanta , will be successful . enter the generic name ( vanessa ) in the - lepidoptera criteria - genus box ; enter atalanta in the species : box ; click search .
hint : leave the ' starts with ' command as the default and in the species entry box omit the last few letters of the species - name ( eg , atalant ) . this will get around the problem of variable gender - endings . hosts uses original orthography of species - group names as far as possible , but some checklists follow the convention of altering the species - group name to accord with the presumed gender of the generic name ( eg flava , flavus ) .
restrict or refine searches using additional criteria ; choosing ' usa ' from the drop - down location box and entering [ starts with ] ' urt ' in the hostplant family box will return hostplant records of vanessa atalanta from urticaceae in the usa .
hint : restricting location may deliver a very incomplete subset of records : in the previous example all records specified as from the nearctic region ( usa + canada ) would be missed .
drill - down search mode allows the user to home in from the starting - point of either the lepidoptera or the plant family . choose a family group from the drop - down box and allow time for all genera of that family in the database to load to the genus drop - down box ; choose a genus and wait for the species to load . the search button can be pressed at any time , but the record delivery limit may be exceeded at higher taxonomic levels . drill - down search allows the user to see by scrolling all the taxa that are represented in the database . following the previous example , choose nymphalidae , then choose vanessa from the genus drop - down box and then atalanta from the ten possible species of vanessa included in hosts .
the preliminary search results pages give family , genus and species of the caterpillar and its hostplant . note that many hostplants are recorded as a plant genus only . clicking the caterpillar name will give the full record . the full record listing gives , additionally , the author of the lepidoptera species , subspecific information on the insect and the plant , if available , together with details of larval damage . laboratory rearings where the food utilised may not be the natural hostplant are indicated . the status of the record ( whether considered true , erroneous or suspect ) is not currently implemented in this version of hosts .
leguminosae ( c ) - caesalpinioideae . leguminosae ( m ) - mimosoideae . leguminosae ( p ) - papilionoideae .
all lepidoptera groups are covered and subspecific taxa are differentiated . the original source of the record , original form of the names used ( prior to taxonomic ' cleaning ' and standardisation of nomenclature ) and validation and verification fields are not included . this information is , however , retained in the databases used to generate this site . while we have included species that do not feed on green plants , the known food substrates of these are not listed exhaustively . such species comprise detritophages and predators and include , for example , most tineidae and the stored - products pests . the published compilations from hosts ( see more detail - publications from hosts ) include record status and the sources of all records .
detailed published compilations from hosts are available in press . these books give greater detail than the website , together with comprehensive cross - indexes , record status and full bibliographies . they are indispensable tools for naturalists and professional entomologists .
robinson , g . s . , ackery , p . r . , kitching , i . j . , beccaloni , g . w . & hernández , l . m . 2001 . hostplants of the moth and butterfly caterpillars of the oriental region . 744 pp .
robinson , g . s . , ackery , p . r . , kitching , i . j . , beccaloni , g . w . & hernández , l . m . 2002 . hostplants of the moth and butterfly caterpillars of america north of mexico . 824 pp . [ memoirs of the american entomological institute , volume 69 . ]
beccaloni , g . w . , viloria , a . l . , hall , s . k . & robinson , g . s . 2008 . catalogue of the hostplants of the neotropical butterflies / catálogo de las plantas huésped de las mariposas neotropicales . m3m - monografías tercer milenio , volume 8 . zaragoza , spain : sociedad entomológica aragonesa ( sea ) / red iberoamericana de biogeografía y entomología sistemática ( ribes ) / ciencia y tecnología para el desarrollo ( cyted ) / natural history museum , london , u . k . ( nhm ) / instituto venezolano de investigaciones científicas , venezuela ( ivic ) . 1 - 536 pp . , 1 fig , 3 tabs .
gaden robinson was responsible for the overall project design and management of the hosts database , and for records of lepidoptera exclusive of butterflies and bombycoid moths . phillip ackery and george beccaloni were responsible for butterfly data , including data drawn from card catalogues developed by ackery , whilst ian kitching was responsible for hostplant data of bombycoid moths . luis m . hernández was responsible for abstracting in the latter two years of the project and for development of the bibliography for the hardcopy versions of the data .
we are particularly grateful to julian donahue and the los angeles county museum of natural history for allowing us to include data on microlepidoptera from the card catalogue prepared by the late j . a . comstock and c . henne , and for access to manuscript records by noel mcfarland .
marian fricano ( santa clara university ) and aileen giovanello ( clark university , international internship 1996 ) made substantial contributions of abstracted data ; fran love ( north carolina ) painstakingly checked scanned texts and reformatted them for import to paradox .
we are indebted to all our helpers for their diligence , accuracy and patience , and for their unswerving faith that this daunting project would reach a conclusion .
our colleagues here and overseas provided substantial help , advice and assistance with the checking of names of lepidoptera and with many other aspects of this project : kim and david goodger and jeremy holloway ( macrolepidoptera families ) , martin honey ( noctuoidea ) , brian pitkin ( computing ) , malcolm scoble and linda pitkin ( geometroidea ) , klaus sattler ( gelechioidea ) , michael shaffer ( pyraloidea , thyridoidea , pterophoroidea ) , alma solis ( usda , washington - pyraloidea ) , fernley symons ( oxford university - technical support ) and kevin tuck ( tortricoidea ) . julie harvey and the staff of the bmnh entomology and general libraries provided sterling support in locating obscure source material and intuitively correcting bowdlerized references .
we thank the trustees of the loke wan tho memorial foundation for their generous support for this project .
robinson , g . s . , p . r . ackery , i . j . kitching , g . w . beccaloni & l . m . hernández , 2010 . hosts - a database of the world ' s lepidopteran hostplants . natural history museum , london . urltoken . ( accessed : 18 aug . 2010 ) .
brummitt , r . k . 1992 . vascular plant families and genera . [ vi ] + 804 pp . , royal botanic gardens , kew .
kartesz , j . t . 1994 . a synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the unites states , canada and greenland . timber press , portland . 1 , checklist , lxi + 622 pp ; 2 , thesaurus , vii + 816 pp .
kitching , i . j . & cadiou , j . - m . 2000 . hawkmoths of the world : an annotated and illustrated revsionary checklist . xx + 500 pp . , cornell university press , ithaca .
kitching , i . j . & rawlins , j . e . 1999 . the noctuoidea . pp . 355 - 401 . in : kristensen , n . p . ( ed . ) lepidoptera , moths and butterflies . 1 . evolution , systematics and biogeography . handbook of zoology , 4 ( 35 ) . lepidoptera . x + 491 pp . de gruyter , berlin .
letourneau , d . k . , hagen , j . a . & robinson , g . s . 2001 . bt crops : evaluating benefits under cultivation and risks from escaped transgenes in the wild . pp . 33 - 98 . in : letourneau , d . k . & burrows , b . e . ( eds ) , genetically engineered organisms : assessing environmental and human health effects . [ viii ] + 438 pp . , crc press , boca raton .
mabberley , d . j . 1987 . the plant book . a portable dictionary of the higher plants . xii + 707 pp . , cambridge university press . [ the 1993 reprint edition is currently used in editing . ]
nielsen , e . s . , edwards , e . d . & rangsi , t . v . ( eds ) 1996 . checklist of the lepidoptera of australia . monographs on australian lepidoptera . 4 . xiv + 529 pp . , csiro , melbourne .
nye , i . w . b . ( ed . ) 1975 - 91 . the generic names of moths of the world . 1 : 568 pp . ( noctuoidea ( part ) - nye , i . w . b . , 1975 ) ; 2 : xiv + 228 pp . ( noctuoidea ( part ) - watson , a . , fletcher , d . s . & nye , i . w . b . , 1980 ) ; 3 : xx + 243 pp . ( geometroidea - fletcher , d . s . , 1979 ) ; 4 : xiv + 192 pp . ( bombycoidea to zygaenoidea - fletcher , d . s . & nye , i . w . b . , 1982 ) ; 5 : xv + 185 pp . ( pyraloidea - fletcher , d . s . & nye , 1984 ) ; 6 : xxix + 368 pp . ( microlepidoptera - nye , i . w . b . & fletcher , d . s . , 1991 ) . british museum ( natural history ) / the natural history museum , london .
rawlins , j . e . 1984 . mycophagy in lepidoptera . pp . 382 - 483 . in : wheeler , q . & blackwell , m . ( eds ) fungus - insect relationships . perspectives in ecology and evolution . 514 pp . , columbia university press .
robinson , g . s . 1999 . hosts - a database of the hostplants of the world ' s lepidoptera . nota lepidopterologica , 22 : 35 - 47 .
robinson , g . s . , ackery , p . r . , kitching , i . j . , beccaloni , g . w . & hernández , l . m . 2001 . hostplants of the moth and butterfly caterpillars of the oriental region . 744 pp . southdene sdn bhd , kuala lumpur .
robinson , g . s . , ackery , p . r . , kitching , i . j . , beccaloni , g . w . & hernández , l . m . 2002 . hostplants of the moth and butterfly caterpillars of america north of mexico . memoirs of the american entomological institute , 69 : 1 - 824 .
scoble , m . j . ( ed . ) 1999 . a taxonomic catalogue to the geometridae of the world ( insecta : lepidoptera ) . 2 vols . csiro publications , melbourne .
royal botanic garden edinburgh dipterocarpaceae database : http : / / 193 . 62 . 154 . 38 / diptero /
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it generally flies from may to july , with an occasional second brood in the south .
) , but it can sometimes attack cultivated tomatoes , feeding internally in the fruit .
ukmoths is built , run and maintained by ian kimber , with thanks to the many kind contributors who provide photos and information .
the ukmoths facebook page is a great place to post your identification queries . more often than not you ' ll get a positive id on most photos fairly quickly .
looking for a specific moth species ? enter just part of the name below .
procache : v317 render date : 2018 - 07 - 06 20 : 21 : 21 page render time : 0 . 2397s total w / procache : 0 . 2856s
the larvae can be found from june to october , feeding at night . they then overwinter as pupae underground .
a wide range of wild and cultivated herbaceous and woody plants including common nettle ( urtica dioica ) , fat - hen ( chenopodium album ) , willowherbs , st john’s - worts , traveller’s - joy ( clematis vitalba ) , english elm ( ulmus procera ) , hazel ( corylus avellana ) and hop ( humulus lupulus ) . also occasionally a pest to tomoatoes , fedding inside the fruit .
occurs in most habitats . abundant in gardens and other cultivated land and also frequent on heathland and the edges of saltmarshes .
common throughout most of britain , ireland and the channel islands . less frequent in the far north .
company limited by guarantee , registered in england ( 2206468 ) . vat no . gb 991 2771 89 registered office : manor yard , east lulworth , wareham , dorset , bh20 5qp tel : 01929 400 209 charity registered : england & wales ( 254937 ) . scotland ( sco39268 )
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a common species over most of the british isles . in a recent survey to determine the status of all macro moths in britain this species was classified as common .
common in leicestershire and rutland . l & r moth group status = a ( common and resident )
recorded in 68 ( 99 % ) of 69 10k squares . first recorded in 06 . last recorded in 2018 .
underlying maps using digital map data © norfolk online lepidoptera archive - nola™ 2018 . © james wheeler - n o r f o l k m o t h s 2007 - 2018 . data © nola™ 2018
it is often referred to as the tomato moth by gardeners as its caterpillars also feed on the fruit and leaves of tomato plants as well as many other herbaceous plants .
the adult moth flies mainly in a single generation between may to july with a smaller second generation in parts of the south .
see illustrated guide to caterpillars for links to galleries and help with caterpillar identification .
eggs are laid at night on the underside of leaves of a variety of common , low - growing herbaceous plants such as dock , dandelion , plantain and water mint . they have also been recorded on trees such as sallows .
the batch of eggs shown above was laid on water mint beside a pond in cornwall . the smaller batch shown were found on the underside of a sallow leaf on the lizard peninsular , cornwall .
batches in excess of 100 eggs hatch within seven days and the caterpillars are fully grown within 30 days . the larger they become the more frequently they feed at night .
once fully grown they stop feeding and leave the food plant to pupate in the soil .
the overwintering pupae have a twin hook cremaster and are formed inside a thin protective covering of soil .
the adult moth normally emerges in may with slight variation in timing according to temperature .
females attracted to light lay readily in captivity and the caterpillars are easy to rear .
the caterpillars frequently feed on plants considered weeds by gardeners such as dandelions , dock and plantain and so cause little damage .
however , on occasions females will lay their eggs on tomato plants . the hatching caterpillars will at first feed gregariously on the leaves leaving fenestrations in the leaves . the image below shows early damage caused to tomato plant leaves by recently hatched caterpillars .
when large they will feed on ripening tomatoes , often penetrating deep into the tomato and ruining the fruit . they have also been recorded feeding on yams .
the image shows a fully grown caterpillar next to a partially eaten tomato grown inside a greenhouse .
to prevent the adult moths from laying eggs on the plants some fine mesh should be placed over the greenhouse windows between may and august . doors left open during the day to allow bees to enter should be netted off if left open at night .
if growing tomatoes outdoors then the whole plant will have be cloaked in netting .
any clusters of eggs are usually easy to find on the underside of the leaves and can then be scrapped off .
at the first sign of fenestrations appearing in tomato leaves check the undersides for the tiny caterpillars .
the location of the feeding caterpillars is often given away by fine dark freckling of frass on the leaves directly beneath those being eaten .
once caterpillars are found they can be picked off individually when large or flicked off into a container when small using a fine artist’s brush .
when very small and feeding gregariously they can be scooped off with a spoon .
when larger they are more easily found at night when they are more active .
any soil remaining in the greenhouse for the next season should be lightly sifted through for the pupa of the caterpillars . this will prevent more moths emerging the following year inside the greenhouse .
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in some moth species , the introduction of trichogramma parasitoid wasps reduces caterpillar populations . use insecticides containing spinosad or bacillus thuringiensis that do not persist in the environment .
always consider an integrated approach with preventive measures together with biological treatments if available .
protect plants with a net . , monitor your field and remove eggs , infected plant parts or caterpillars . , monitor soil after harvest and remove remaining pupae .
my personal guide to the nature reserves and wildlife hot - spots of dorset and the species that may be seen at each along with help in identifying those animals and plants .
to aid users of mobile devices as well as those with a mouse or laptop finger pad this site uses a simple image - based menu system . virtually every picture you see ( images and photos ) are links to more information arranged in a sort of top - down structure . see an image , click or tap on it to open a new page .
flying from may until july the odd one frequently turns up in the moth trap but never in any numbers . here in dorset there is a second brood later in the year around september time .
it is a widespread species and quite common and it is happy to feed from almost any flowers . the larvae can be a pest if the hatch on cultivated tomatoes .
this website has been created by , and is the copyright of , peter orchard , wareham , dorset . the website is ru
n as a hobby and the information is made available free of charge to anyone who finds it useful . no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions in the data and information supplied . copyright of all photographs on this website ( unless otherwise stated ) remains with the publisher or the contributor and they should not be used by others for any purpose without permission .
please note that the data on this website is not the result of scientific research , it is a collection of random observations made by a very amateur enthusiast . the species database covers everything from mammals to fungi and no one can be an expert in all of these taxa and much of the identification is restricted by the quality of reference material available . one person cannot possibly produce the definitive guide to the nature of dorset and so species lists will be incomplete and there will be reserves not covered but as time goes by so the database will grow and ( depending on health and the weather ) the content will become more comprehensive as time passes .
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english - german online dictionary developed to help you share your knowledge with others . more information ! contains translations by tu chemnitz and mr honey ' s business dictionary ( german - english ) . thanks on that account ! links to this dictionary or to single translations are very welcome ! questions and answers
( linnaeus 1758 ) medium sized moth . wingspan 34 - 44mm . widespread and often common through all the uk . please choose from drop tab
lacanobia oleracea set x 1 male / or fm a - / a2 english ( 0 . 95 )
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