Butterflies of
North America
Question mark
Polygonia
interrogationalis
FABRICIUS, 1798
Family -
NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe
- NYMPHALINI
Polygonia interrogationis, Tennessee, USA ©
Ken Childs
Introduction
The genus
Polygonia comprises 14 species, found variously in
North America, Europe, temperate Asia and north Africa. There are 6 species
found in North America.
As a genus the
butterflies are
instantly recognisable by their characteristic ragged wing shape. Most share a
similar upperside pattern of dark brown spots on a golden-orange ground colour. On
the undersides they are cryptically marked to resemble dead leaves or tree bark,
and have a central white or silvery mark on the hindwing in the shape of a
comma, question mark or chevron.
Polygonia interrogationalis is
distributed from southern Canada, through the central and eastern
states of the USA to central Mexico. It also occurs as a rare
migrant in Cuba.
Habitats
This species is
found in subtropical and temperate open deciduous woodlands, at
altitudes between sea level and about 1000m.
Lifecycle
The pale green
vertically ribbed eggs are laid either singly or in loose piles
of up to half a dozen, on the underside of leaves of the larval
foodplants. The
caterpillars feed on Ulmus and
Celtis ( trees- Ulmaceae ),
Humulus ( vines - Moraceae ), and
on stinging nettles Urtica (
Urticaceae ). When fully grown they are black, covered in white
dots. They have thin yellow lines along the back, wavy orange
lines along the sides, and are adorned with multi-branched
orange spines on the back and sides. They live solitarily and
feed diurnally.
Adult behaviour
Males perch,
with wings either open or closed, on the foliage of trees and
bushes to await passing females. They often imbibe mineralised
moisture from damp soil, dung or carrion. Females are seen less
often, usually when nectaring, and tend to prefer the flowers of
trees and shrubs to those of herbaceous plants.
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