Red-spotted Purple
Encyclopedia
The White Admiral or Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is a polytypic
species of North America
n brush-footed butterfly, common throughout much of the eastern United States. L. a. astyanax has red spots on its underside and the top of the wings are notable for their iridescent blue markings. L. a. arthemis on the other hand has a large white band traversing both the forewings and hindwings.
The Red-spotted Purple is a mimic of the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail
(Battus philenor) and is typically found in open woodlands and along forest edges.
The upper side of L. a. astyanax is very much like L. a. arthemis except it lacks the broad white bands. The fore wing submarginal area will sometimes have a row of red spots. The hind wings are either a bright iridescent blue or an iridescent bluish-green. The underside of the wings lacks the white band. The basal area has several red spots. It has a row of red submarginal spots and bluish marginal spots.
L. a. arizonensis is indistinguishable from L. a. astyanax except that L. a. arizonensis is found in the southwest and its range does not overlap the range of L. a. astyanax.
Intermediates between L. a. arthemis and L. a. astyanax can occur. L. a. arthemis f. proserpina has faint white bands. L. a. arthemis f. albofaciata has more conspicuous white bands but they are not as broad as the bands are on L. a. arthemis.
es, including Betula lenta; Salicaceae
, including Salix bebbiana
and Populus tremuloides
, and Prunus virginiana (Rosaceae
).
Also but not as often: Crataegus
, Amelanchier, Malus pumila, Prunus pensylvanica and Prunus serotina (Rosaceae), Populus deltoides, P. grandidentata
and P. balsamifera
(Salicaceae), Alnus rugosa, Betula alleghaniensis and Carpinus caroliniana (Betulaceae), Ulmus americana (Ulmaceae), Tilia americana
(Malvaceae) and Fagus grandifolia (Fagaceae).
Adults are diurnal, they fly from the morning until soon after dusk (Fullard & Napoleone 2001).
"of harbours", from Ancient Greek
Λιμενιτις (from λιμήν, a harbour, haven) - an epithet
of Artemis
, goddess of the hunt and the wild. arthemis, from Artemis.
mentions the "Red-spotted purple" (or the similar looking Mourning cloak) - a butterfly that makes her pause in her writing. The poem is also a word-picture or iconograph
, where the lines are laid out to look like a butterfly.
The White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis) is, since a poll in October 1998, the (unofficial) insect emblem of the province of Quebec
, Canada
. (See Quebec symbols and emblems for further details). It is the only sub-species of Limenitis arthemis present in Quebec.
Polytypic
In zoology, polytypic refers to a taxonomic unit with more than one subgroup at the next lower level.-See also:*Linnaean taxonomy*monotypic*monotypic habitat...
species of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n brush-footed butterfly, common throughout much of the eastern United States. L. a. astyanax has red spots on its underside and the top of the wings are notable for their iridescent blue markings. L. a. arthemis on the other hand has a large white band traversing both the forewings and hindwings.
The Red-spotted Purple is a mimic of the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail
Pipevine swallowtail
The Pipevine Swallowtail is a swallowtail butterfly found in North and Central America. The butterflies are black with iridescent blue hind wings. They are found in many different habitats, but are most commonly found in forests...
(Battus philenor) and is typically found in open woodlands and along forest edges.
Subspecies
Four subspecies of the butterfly are known:- Limenitis arthemis arthemis – (American) White Admiral (see also Limenitis camillaLimenitis camillaThe White Admiral, Limenitis camilla, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. They are found in woodland throughout southern Britain and much of Europe and Asia, extending as far east as Japan....
) - Limenitis arthemis rubrofasciata – Western (American) White Admiral, characterised by the absence of blue spots on its inferior wings
- Limenitis arthemis astyanax – Red-spotted Purple or Red-spotted Admiral, no white bands on wings
- Limenitis arthemis arizonensis – Arizona Red-spotted Purple, no white bands on wings
Description
Both sexes of this species are identical except that the females are slightly larger than the males. The upper side of L. a. arthemis is mostly blackish-blue with white postmedian bands across both wings. Some individuals have a row of red submarginal spots, while others have this area being blue. The underside of the wings is a blackish color with a broad white postmedian band. The basal area of both wings contains many red spots. The submarginal area may contain a row of red spots and the marginal area having bluish spots. However, sometimes the submarginal and marginal areas are just a reddish-brown color.The upper side of L. a. astyanax is very much like L. a. arthemis except it lacks the broad white bands. The fore wing submarginal area will sometimes have a row of red spots. The hind wings are either a bright iridescent blue or an iridescent bluish-green. The underside of the wings lacks the white band. The basal area has several red spots. It has a row of red submarginal spots and bluish marginal spots.
L. a. arizonensis is indistinguishable from L. a. astyanax except that L. a. arizonensis is found in the southwest and its range does not overlap the range of L. a. astyanax.
Intermediates between L. a. arthemis and L. a. astyanax can occur. L. a. arthemis f. proserpina has faint white bands. L. a. arthemis f. albofaciata has more conspicuous white bands but they are not as broad as the bands are on L. a. arthemis.
Ecology
Preferred host plants: birchBirch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
es, including Betula lenta; Salicaceae
Salicaceae
Salicaceae are a family of flowering plants. Recent genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has greatly expanded the circumscription of the family to contain 55 genera....
, including Salix bebbiana
Salix bebbiana
Salix bebbiana is a species of Willow that is indigenous to Canada and the northern United States, from Alaska and Yukon south to California and Arizona and north-east to Newfoundland and New England...
and Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...
, and Prunus virginiana (Rosaceae
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
).
Also but not as often: Crataegus
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
, Amelanchier, Malus pumila, Prunus pensylvanica and Prunus serotina (Rosaceae), Populus deltoides, P. grandidentata
Populus grandidentata
Populus grandidentata — the large-tooth, or big-tooth, aspen — is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America.-Name:...
and P. balsamifera
Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, bamtree, eastern balsam poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca,...
(Salicaceae), Alnus rugosa, Betula alleghaniensis and Carpinus caroliniana (Betulaceae), Ulmus americana (Ulmaceae), Tilia americana
Tilia americana
Tilia americana is a species of Tilia native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Texas, and southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska...
(Malvaceae) and Fagus grandifolia (Fagaceae).
Adults are diurnal, they fly from the morning until soon after dusk (Fullard & Napoleone 2001).
Etymology
Limenitis (New LatinNew Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
"of harbours", from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
Λιμενιτις (from λιμήν, a harbour, haven) - an epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
of Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, goddess of the hunt and the wild. arthemis, from Artemis.
In popular culture
The poem Unconscious came a beauty by May SwensonMay Swenson
Anna Thilda May "May" Swenson was an American poet and playwright...
mentions the "Red-spotted purple" (or the similar looking Mourning cloak) - a butterfly that makes her pause in her writing. The poem is also a word-picture or iconograph
Iconograph
An iconograph is a picture formed by a word or words. It can take the form of irregularly shaped letters or irregularly aligned text....
, where the lines are laid out to look like a butterfly.
The White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis arthemis) is, since a poll in October 1998, the (unofficial) insect emblem of the province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. (See Quebec symbols and emblems for further details). It is the only sub-species of Limenitis arthemis present in Quebec.
External links
- Red-Spotted Purple: Reference large format diagnostic photographs from Cirrus Digital Imaging
- White Admiral
- Life cycle with photographs of the Red-Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax).
- Pictures of the different subspecies from *Discover Life.
- Limenitis arthemis at Animal Diversity Web
- red-spotted purple on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site - White Admiral, Red-spotted Purple, Butterflies of Canada