North American Butterflies and Moths List

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Butterflies of North America

Small Wood Nymph (Cercyonis oetus)
JPG -- species photo

Small Wood Nymph (Cercyonis oetus [Boisduval])

Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3.2 - 4.5 cm).

Identification: Wings are light to very dark brown; wing fringes are checkered. Upperside of forewing usually has 1 eyespot in the male, 2 eyespots in the female; upper eyespot is larger. Underside of forewing of both sexes has lower eyespot smaller and nearer to the wing edge than the upper eyespot.

Life history: Males patrol all day for females, who deposit eggs singly on the host plant. First-stage caterpillars hibernate unfed until the following spring.

Flight: One brood from June-August.

Caterpillar hosts: Unknown grasses.

Adult food: Flower nectar.

Habitat: Dry chaparral, sagebrush, grasslands, scrub, open woodland, meadows.

Range: British Columbia east to southern Saskatchewan and western North Dakota; south to eastern California, Nevada, central Arizona, and New Mexico.

Conservation: Not usually required.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management needs: None reported.

References:


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

Small Wood Nymph (Cercyonis oetus)
distribution map
map legend

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