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Shy Yellow (Eurema messalina [Maynard])
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.6 - 3.8 cm).
Identification: Both sexes creamy white. Males with black borders on outer edges of both wings; female with black apex. Male has pink bar on underside of forewing that fades after death.
Life history: Females lay single eggs on top of host plant leaves.
Flight: Most common in May-August; February.
Caterpillar hosts: Tick trefoils (Desmodium) and Cassia species in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Shady, brushy areas.
Range: Resident in West Indies; very rare stray in southern Florida.
Conservation: None 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:
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.
Smith, D. S., L. D. Miller, and J. Y. Miller. 1994. The butterflies of the
West Indies and South Florida. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 264
pages, 32 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
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