Checklist of Rhode Island Butterflies

 

compiled and maintained by

 

Harry Pavulaan

494 Fillmore Street

Herndon, VA., 20170

 

revised 4/21/97

 

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The purpose of this checklist is to maintain an accurate historical account of Rhode Island butterflies.  Records are kept for each individual town and city, rather than by county, which is the traditional recording unit in most other state wildlife inventories.   Due to the relatively small size of the state, and the fact that there are only five nonfunctional counties, it was necessary to select a smaller geopolitical mapping unit, to obtain a better overall picture of butterfly distributions.  There is also another advantage in this system, in that local municipalities may one day play a more active role in butterfly conservation at the local level. 

 

            This Checklist is continually updated. 

A new record is added each time a butterfly is reported from a particular town or city for the first time.  I conduct some of my own field counts on an infrequent basis, often yearly, and continuously search for new sources of literature or collection records.  You are invited to participate in the process of updating this checklist by reporting any butterfly records which you believe constitute a new town or city record, thus placing a new ‘X’ on the chart.  All reports should include: date, location, town or city, and any interesting observations such as nectaring or egg-laying behavior.   You may submit reports using either common or latin names for butterflies.

 

Records may be reported directly to:

 

                                                Harry Pavulaan

                                                494 Fillmore Street

                                                Herndon, VA., 20170

                                                phone: (703)-709-0124

                                                e-mail: Pavulaan@aol.com

 

Records may also be sent to the Butterfly Society of Rhode Island

                                               

For the purposes of this survey, butterflies should be positively identified by any one of several methods:

 

1) 

Individual reports of sightings or captures of common or easily-identified species will be accepted, but some may be scrutinized by subsequent inquiry.  If you feel you have observed something unique and distinct, but cannot identify it, a detailed description may suffice.

 

2) 

Reports of rare, doubtful, or hard-to-determine species such as the Duskywings or some Hairstreaks should be supported by one of the following:

 

      A)  Photography (still or video).  Multiple still shots may be necessary in some cases.

      B)  Consensus of several “competent” witnesses.

      C)  Documented rearing of larvae to adulthood on a host.

      D)  Careful and detailed documentation of a butterfly’s behavioral traits and plant/habitat             

            association.                

      E)  Field capture/release (for in-hand identification).

      F)  Capture and “detention” of a live individual until a field guide or competent authority can

            be consulted (followed by subsequent release).

      G)  Collection of voucher specimen(s) that will eventually be donated to an institutional

            collection to serve as a permanent record for future generations. 

      H)  Individual reports from knowledgeable researchers are usually accepted verbatim.

 

3) 

Reports of rare, doubtful, or hard-to-determine specimens in collections should list all data from the specimen label, and indicate where the collection currently resides, so that further inquiry or examination may follow.  I will be glad to receive specimens by mail, for the purposes

of identification, and will either return them or forward them to a specified recipient.

 

           

To maintain confidentiality of reports, all records will be permanently recorded with an “X” on the checklist, with no reference to reporting sources.  However, I will maintain a confidential database which indicates the reporting sources.  This database will ultimately be transferred to the Butterfly Society, Natural History Survey, Natural Heritage Program, and may be included as an appendix in the upcoming butterfly guide.  Thus, everyone who submits records will be credited for their contributions.  If you do not want to be identified as the source of a record, please indicate so in correspondence, and you will be listed as an anonymous source in the database.

 

 

RHODE ISLAND BUTTERFLIES

COMMON NAMES LIST

 

            Common names are in alphabetical order by family (all Skippers are unified under superfamily Hesperioidea).  Names presented in bold are the most-frequently used common names from literature (Miller,1992).  In many cases, an additional common name is listed.   This second name represents the standardized common name used by the North American Butterfly Association (NABA, 1995). Latin names are in italics. An additional Latin name preceded by = indicates a formerly-used species name frequently found in older field guides (such names were determined to be more recent “synonyms” of the older, correct names). Names followed by ** indicates species not yet recorded from Rhode Island, but listed here as hypothetical species.  Note that the Spring Azure entry refers to four separate entries.  These names are only tentative, pending further taxonomic research, but are included here in quotation marks to emphasize the fact that they are distinct species.  The Little Wood Satyr is likewise subdivided into two separate entries, indicating two species which also require taxonomic work.

 

Skippers (Hesperioidea)

 

Arctic Skipper (Carterocephalus palaemon) **

Arogos Skipper (Atrytone arogos) **

Black Dash (Euphyes conspicuus)

Brazilian Skipper (Calpodes ethlius)

Broad-winged Skipper(Poanes viator)

Checkered Skipper / Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)

Cobweb Skipper (Hesperia metea)

Columbine Dusky Wing / Columbine Duskywing (Erynnis lucilius)

Common Sooty Wing / Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus)

Crossline Skipper (Polites origenes)

Delaware Skipper (Anatrytone logan, =delaware)

Dion Skipper (Euphyes dion)

Dotted Skipper (Hesperia attalus) **

Dreamy Dusky Wing / Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus)

Dun Skipper (Euphyes vestris, =ruricola)

Dusted Skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna)

European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola)

Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus)

Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades)

Hobomok Skipper (Poanes hobomok)

Horace’s Dusky Wing / Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius)

Indian Skipper (Hesperia sassacus)

Juvenal’s Dusky Wing / Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis)

Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor)

Leonard’s Skipper (Hesperia leonardus)

Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna)

Long Dash (Polites mystic)

Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)

Mottled Dusky Wing / Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis)

Mulberry Wing (Poanes massasoit)

Northern Broken Dash / Northern Broken-Dash (Wallengrenia egeremet)

Northern Cloudy Wing / Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)

Ocola Skipper (Panoquina ocola)

Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius)

Pepper and Salt Skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon)

Persius Dusky Wing / Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)

Roadside Skipper / Common Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis)

Sachem (Atalopedes campestris)

Salt Marsh Skipper (Panoquina panoquin) **

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)

Sleepy Dusky Wing / Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo)

Southern Cloudy Wing / Southern Cloudywing (Thorybes bathyllus)

Swarthy Skipper (Nastra lherminier)

Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles)

Twin-spot Skipper (Oligoria maculata) **

Two-spotted Skipper (Euphyes bimacula)

Whirlabout (Polites vibex) **

Wild Indigo Dusky Wing / Wild Indigo Duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae)

Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon)

Zarucco Dusky Wing / Zarucco Duskywing (Erynnis zarucco) **

 

Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

 

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus canadensis)

Giant Swallowtail (Heraclides cresphontes)

Palamedes Swallowtail (Pterourus palamedes) **

Pipe-vine Swallowtail / Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

Spicebush Swallowtail (Pterourus troilus)

Tiger Swallowtail / Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus)

Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)

 

Whites, Sulphurs (Pieridae)

 

Cabbage Butterfly / Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)

Checkered White (Pontia protodice)

Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)

Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)

Dog Face / Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia) **

Falcate Orange Tip / Falcate Orangetip (Paramidea midea) **

Florida White (Appias drusilla) **

Large Orange Sulphur (Phoebis agarithe) **

Little Sulphur / Little Yellow (Eurema lisa)

Mustard White (Pieris napi)

Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)

Orange-barred Sulphur (Phoebis philea)

Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe)

West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis) **

 

Gossamer-wing Butterflies (Lycaenidae)

 

Acadian Hairstreak (Satyrium acadicum)

American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)

Appalachian Blue / Appalachian Azure (Celastrina neglectamajor) **

Banded Hairstreak (Satyrium calanus)

Bog Copper (Epidemia epixanthe)

Bronze Copper (Hyllolycaena hyllus, =thoe)

Brown Elfin (Incisalia augustinus)

“Cherry Gall Azure” / ‘Cherry Gall’ Spring Azure (Celastrina [new species])

Coral Hairstreak (Harkenclenus titus)

Eastern Pine Elfin (Incisalia niphon)

Eastern Tailed Blue / Eastern Tailed-Blue (Everes comyntas)

“Edwards’ Spring Azure” / ‘Spring’ Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon, =violacea)

Edwards’ Hairstreak (Satyrium edwardsii)

Frosted Elfin (Incisalia irus)

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)

Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus) **

Harvester (Feniseca tarquinius)

Henry’s Elfin (Incisalia henrici)

Hessel’s Hairstreak (Mitoura hesseli)

Hickory Hairstreak (Satyrium caryaevorum)

Hoary Elfin (Incisalia polia)

Northern Hairstreak (Fixsenia favonius ontario)

“Northern Spring Azure” (Celastrina lucia) **

Olive Hairstreak / ‘Olive’ Juniper Hairstreak (Mitoura grynea)

Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)

Silvery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) **

Spring Azure (see: “Edwards’ Spring Azure”, “Cherry Gall Azure”, “Northern             Spring Azure”, “Summer Azure”)

Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops)

“Summer Azure” / ‘Summer’ Spring Azure (Celastrina neglecta)

White-M Hairstreak / White M Hairstreak (Parhassius m-album)

 

 

 

Metalmarks (Riodinidae)

 

Northern Metalmark (Calephelis borealis) **

 

Snouts (Libytheidae)

 

Snout Butterfly / American Snout (Libytheana bachmanni)

 

Heliconians (Heliconidae)

 

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) **

 

Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

 

American Painted Lady / American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

Aphrodite Fritillary (Speyeria aphrodite)

Atlantis Fritillary (Speyeria atlantis)

Baltimore / Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)

Buckeye / Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Compton Tortoise Shell / Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vau-album)

Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)

Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)

Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)

Hackberry Butterfly / Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)

Harris’ Checkerspot (Chlosyne harrisii)

Hop Merchant / Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)

Meadow Fritillary (Clossiana bellona)

Milbert’s Tortoise Shell / Milbert’s Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti)

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Northern Pearl Crescent / Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta, =morpheus,

             =pascoensis, =selenis)          

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)

Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Red-spotted Purple (Basilarchia arthemis astyanax)

Regal Fritillary (Speyeria idalia)

Silver-bordered Fritillary (Clossiana selene)

Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)

Small Tortoise Shell / Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) **

Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton)

Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)

Viceroy (Basilarchia archippus)

White Admiral (Basilarchia arthemis arthemis)

White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) **

 

Satyrs (Satyridae)

 

Appalachian Eyed Brown / Appalachian Brown (Satyrodes appalachia)

Common Wood Nymph / Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala)

Eyed Brown (Satyrodes eurydice)

Inornate Ringlet (Coenonympha inornata)

Little Wood Satyr  type 1 / Little Wood-Satyr (Megisto cymela type 1)

Little Wood Satyr  type 2 / Little Wood-Satyr (Megisto cymela type 2)

Northern Pearly Eye / Northern Pearly-Eye (Enodia anthedon)

 

Milkweed Butterflies (Danaidae)

 

Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Queen (Danaus gilippus)

 

 

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References

 

Ferris, C. D. (editor) 1989.  Supplement to: A Catalog/Checklist of the Butterflies of

            America North of Mexico.  Lepidopterists’ Society Memoir No. 3.

 

Miller, J. Y. 1992.  The Common Names of North American Butterflies.  Smithsonian             Institution Press: Washington, D.C.

 

NABA, 1995.  Checklist & English Names of North American Butterflies.   North             American Butterfly Association:  Morristown, N.J.