Butterflies of
North America
Red-spotted
Purple
Limenitis
arthemis astyanax
FABRICIUS, 1775
Family -
NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
LIMENITIDINAE
Tribe
-
Limenitis arthemis astyanax, Tennessee, USA ©
Ken Childs
Introduction
There are about
25-30 species in the genus Limenitis.
Some such as populi and
camilla are widely distributed across
Europe and temperate Asia. The majority however are largely
restricted to China and the countries of the former Soviet Union.
There are 4 species found in tropical Asia, but there the genus is
largely replaced by Neptis.
In North America
there are 6 Limenitis species - archippus,
lorquini, bredowii,
fessonia,
arthemis and
weidemeyerii.
The southern
subspecies of arthemis is known as the Red-spotted Purple,
but the northern race is called the American White Admiral. The
reason for the apparent confusion that the 2 subspecies are
entirely different in appearance. The northern
Limenitis arthemis arthemis had dark
brown wings, with broad white bands, and has no trace of the
blue-purple sheen or the reddish spots at the apex of
astyanax.
Limenitis arthemis arthemis is found
in eastern Canada and north-eastern USA.
Limenitis arthemis astyanax is found in the southern USA.
In areas where the 2 subspecies overlap they breed and produce
fertile offspring that are mid way between
arthemis and astyanax in
colour and pattern.
Habitats
This species is
found in open deciduous woodland habitats in temperate,
subtropical and subarctic regions of North America, at altitudes
between sea level and about 800m.
Lifecycle
The larvae are
polyphagous, with foodplants including
Salix, Betula,
Alnus,
Carpinus, Prunus,
Crataegus,
Fagus, Quercus,
Ulmus, Tilia,
Ribes and many other deciduous
trees and shrubs.
Adult behaviour
Males commonly
imbibe mineralised moisture from damp ground, and also feed at
sap runs, dung, carrion, fermenting fruit and aphid secretions (
honey dew ). Females feed mainly at flower nectar.
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