Nymphalis milberti

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

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 Nymphalinae

Brushfoots are the most prevalent members of the Family Nymphalinae. Distributed worldwide, this is a diverse group that contains several tribes , each with somewhat different structural and biological features. Adults of North American species are predominantly orange, brown, and black. Wing shape and mating systems are variable. Most checkerspots and crescentspots patrol for mates, while the remainder of groups exhibit either perching or perching and patrolling . Migration varies widely; some strong migrants are found in the lady butterflies, tortoiseshells, and anglewings, while other species are local in occurrence. Most species limit their host plants to a few species, but the Painted Lady has one of the widest host palettes of all butterflies. Eggs are laid singly or clustered in groups, and caterpillars be found feeding alone or communally. Brushfoots overwinter as young caterpillars or hibernating adults.[2]

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,875 meters (0 to 9,432 feet).[3]

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: June 24, 1996.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Nymphalis

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species and subspecies in this genus:

N. antiopa (Mourning Cloak) · N. californica (California Tortoiseshell) · N. californica herri (Herr's Tortoise Shell) · N. milberti (Milbert's Tortoiseshell) · N. milberti milberti (Milbert's Tortoiseshell) · N. polychloros (Blackleg Tortoiseshell) · N. polychloros polychloros (Blackleg Tortoiseshell) · N. urticae (Mountain Tortoiseshell) · N. vaualbum (Compton Tortoiseshell) · N. xanthomelas (Yellow-Legged Tortoiseshell)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Annotated checklist of the butterflies of Illinois [by] Roderick R. Irwin [and] John C. Downey. Urbana, Illinois Natural History Survey, 1973. url p. 26, p. 27.
• Bibliography (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) / Charles A. Bridges. Urbana, Ill.: C.A. Bridges, c1993. url p. 186, p. 382.
• Brief guide to the commoner butterflies of the northern United States and Canada; being an introduction to a knowledge of their life-histories, by Samuel Hubbard Scudder. New York, H. Holt and Company, 1893. url p. 89.
• Catalog of hymenoptera in America north of Mexico / prepared cooperatively by specialists on the various groups of Hymenoptera under the direction of Karl V. Krombein. .. [et al.]. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979- url p. 518.
• Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- url p. 193, p. 196, p. 54.
• Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico: synoptic catalog, second supplement / prepared by the staff and collaborators of the Hymenoptera Unit, Insect Identification and Parasite Introduction Research Branch, Entomology Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, under the Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1967. url p. 158.
• Memoirs of the American Entomological Society. Philadelphia, American Entomological Society, 1916- url p. 404, p. 795.
• Occasional papers of the California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco: California Academy of Sciences, url p. 25.
• Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Washington, Biological Society of Washington url p. 90.
• The Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url p. 90.
• The Entomologist's record and journal of variation. s.l., s.n. url p. 304.
• The Great Basin naturalist. Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 116, p. 447.
• The Lepidopterists' news: the monthly newsletter of the Lepidopterists' Society. Cambridge, Mass.: Lepidopterists' Society, 1947-1958. url p. 107, p. 69, p. 96.
• The butterflies of the eastern United States and Canada: with special reference to New England / By Samuel Hubbard Scudder. Cambridge: The author, 1889. url p. 420.
• The process of evolution [by] Paul R. Ehrlich [and] Richard W. Holm. Illustrated by Anne H. Ehrlich. New York, McGraw-Hill[1963] url p. 257.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, St. Johns, Newfoundland
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Atlantic Forestry Centre Insect Reference Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Butterflies and Skippers of Alberta Project
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Canadian National Collection
• of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Donald F. Hooper Butterfly collection, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, E.C. Manning Park Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Gerald Hilchie Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Great Lakes Forestry Centre Insect Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Lyman Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, M. Gollop Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, McMaster University Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Memorial University Department of Biology Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, New Brunswick Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Northern Forestry Centre Arthropod Collection, Edmonton
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Halifax, NS, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Point Pelee National Park Collection, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Ross A. Layberry Observations
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal British Columbia Museum Entomology Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal Saskatchewan Museum Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Spencer Entomological Museum
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of Guelph, Department of Environmental Biology
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of New Brunswick Collection
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of Saskatchewan
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, University of Western Ontario Collection

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2766282
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-188594
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13808620
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 188594
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 16246

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=Editha&search=Search [back]
3. Mean = 477.930 meters (1,568.012 feet), Standard Deviation = 508.350 based on 1,381 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.