Boisduval's Yellow (Eurema boisduvaliana [Felder & Felder])
Wing span: 1 1/2 - 2 inches (3.8 - 5.1 cm).
Identification: Upperside lemon yellow with black borders; each hindwing slightly pointed. Male forewing with weak "dog's head" pattern; hindwing with wide black border projecting into yellow ground. Female forewing with black at apex; hindwing with narrow black edge.
Life history: Males patrol flats and gullies for females.
Flight: April-November in south Texas and northward, throughout the year in tropics.
Caterpillar hosts: Cassias (Cassia species) in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Subtropical forests and forest edges, scrub, roadsides, pastures.
Range: Costa Rica north to Mexico. Rare in south Florida (recorded only twice in the Keys); regular migrant to southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico, and South Texas.
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.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Emmel, T.C. Editor. 1998. Systematics of western North American butterflies. Mariposa Press, Gainesville, Florida. Layberry, R.A., Hall, P.W. & Lafontaine, D.J., 1998. The Butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, ON. 280 pp. 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.