North American Butterflies and Moths List

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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of North Dakota

Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana)
JPG -- species photo

Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana [Boisduval])

Wing span: 1 3/4 - 2 1/2 inches (4.4 - 6.3 cm).

Identification: Upper surface is creamy white with indented black borders which outline a "dog's head" on forewings; more pronounced in male. Hindwing with projecting tail-like points.

Life history: None reported.

Flight: Midsummer to fall as vagrant, all year in tropics.

Caterpillar hosts: Acacia and Diphysa in the pea family (Fabaceae).

Adult food: Nectar from a wide variety of flowers.

Habitat: Open, dry areas: flats, hillsides, deserts, prairies. Found in moister areas in Mexico and Central America.

Range: Resident from Central America north to South Texas and the Southwest; common vagrant in Great Plains and Southwest deserts; rare migrant to Mississippi, Arkansas, Illinois, and Michigan.

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:


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.



Royer, R.A. 1988. Butterflies of North Dakota. Science Monograph #1, Minot 

     State University, Minot, North Dakota.



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.

Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana)
distribution map
map legend

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