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Statira Sulphur (Phoebis statira [Cramer])
Wing span: 2 3/8 - 3 1/8 inches (6 - 8 cm).
Identification: Upper surface of male wings divided by ridge of scales; outer half of wing pale yellow, inner half lemon yellow. Female lemon yellow with black borders at apex and outer margin, solid black cell spot.
Life history: Females lay eggs singly on young leaves of host plants.
Flight: Many flights in Florida from June-February. Makes large migrations in the tropics.
Caterpillar hosts: In Florida, Dalbergia ecastophyllum and Calliandra, both in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult food: Nectar from red-flowered plants including scarlet bush.
Habitat: Tropical scrub, gardens, fields, forest edges.
Range: Argentina north to southern Texas and southern Florida. Stray in southern Georgia, New Mexico, and Kansas.
Conservation: Not usually required.
Management needs: None reported.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
References:
DeVries, P. J. 1987. The butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural
history. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 327
pages, 50 color plates.
Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. 1984. Butterflies east of the Great Plains.
Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 294 pages, 54 color plates.
Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies.
Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages,
48 color plates.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University
Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin
Co., Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States.
University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised
edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies.
Privately published, Denver, Colo.
Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies.
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Add Toliver, M., Holland, R., and S.J. Cary. 1996. Distributional data
for New Mexico Butterflies. Privately published. Albuquerque, N.M.
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