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Cercyonis pegala nephele

(Dull-Eyed Grayling)

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Dull-Eyed Grayling

Description

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Family Nymphalidae

'The Nymphalidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Distributed worldwide, butterflies of this family are especially rich in the tropics. They are highly variable, and there are more species in this family than in any other. Adults vary in size from small to large, and their front legs are reduced, unable to be used for walking. Wing shape is also highly variable: some species have irregular margins (anglewings and commas), and others have long taillike projections (daggerwings). Browns, oranges, yellows, and blacks are frequent colors, while iridescent colors such as purples and blues are rare. Adults of some groups are the longest-lived butterflies, surviving 6-11 months. Adult feeding behavior depends on the species, where some groups primarily seek flower nectar while others only feed on sap flows , rotting fruit, dung, or animal carcasses. Males exhibit perching and patrolling behaviors when seeking mates. Egg-laying varies widely, as some species lay eggs in clustsers, others in columns, and others singly. Caterpillar appearance and behavior vary widely. Brushfoots overwinter as larvae or adults.

'[1]

Subfamily Satyrinae

The Satyrinae are medium-sized species of the Family Nymphalidae. Members of this worldwide group are most often brown with one or more marginal eyespots. Males often have visible patches of specialized scales on the fore- or hindwings . Adults have short proboscises and rarely visit flowers, feeding instead on rotting fruit, animal droppings, or sap flows . Nearly all species feed on grasses and grasslike plants , including bamboos , rushes, and sedges. Adults usually perch with their wings closed , but open them wide when basking early in the morning or during cloudy weather. Most species have local colonies and are not migratory. Males patrol when searching for mates, flying in characteristic slow, skipping flight. Eggs are laid singly on the host leaves or stems, and caterpillars feed within shelters of several leaves sewn together with silk . Development from egg to adult can take two years in arctic and alpine species, and it is synchronized in some species. In those species, adult butterflies are only found every other year. Satyrinae typically overwinter as partially grown caterpillars.[2]

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,968 meters (0 to 6,457 feet).[3]

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Cercyonis

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 19 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. meadii (Mead's Wood Nymph) · C. meadii alamosa (Alamosa Satyr) · C. oetus (Small Wood Nymph) · C. oetus alkalorum (Small Wood-Nymph) · C. oetus oetus (Small Wood-Nymph) · C. pegala (Common Wood Nymph) · C. pegala alope (Blue-Eyed Grayling) · C. pegala boopis (Ox-Eyed Satyr) · C. pegala carsonensis (Carson Valley Wood Nymph) · C. pegala gabbii (Gabb's Satyr) · C. pegala nephele (Dull-Eyed Grayling) · C. pegala pluvialis (White River Wood Nymph) · C. pegala stephensi (Stephen's Satyr) · C. pegala wheeleri (Wheeler's Satyr) · C. sthenele (Great Basin Wood Nymph) · C. sthenele hypoleuca (Great Basin Wood Nymph) · C. sthenele paulus (Little Satyr) · C. sthenele sthenele (Great Basin Wood Nymph) · C. sthenele subsp. behrii (Great Basin Wood-Nymph)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=18&sci=Nymphalidae&com=Brush-footed Butterflies [back]
  2. http://bugguide.net/index.php?q=search&keys=Paramacera&search=Search [back]
  3. Mean = 553.370 meters (1,815.518 feet), Standard Deviation = 476.870 based on 404 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/16/2012