Butterfly Families
Every species of butterfly belongs to a family -- a group of related kinds that often share recognizable traits. Learning the general characteristics of families and other groupings can be an important aid to identification and will provide you with a framework for understanding the relationships between the various species. The following families are all represented in this guide:
Swallowtails (Papilionidae): Medium-sized to large butterflies, normally with prominent tails on hindwings. Sexual dimorphism is common. Caterpillars have forklike "horns" (osmateria). Family includes the largest butterflies in North America and the largest species in the world, Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae). The family also includes the Parnassians, a group of small alpine butterflies.
Whites and Sulfurs (Pieridae): Small to medium-sized butterflies, overall white, yellow, or orange. Sexual and seasonal dimorphism are common. Alba (white or pale yellow) female form occurs in all species. Aggregations of males are found at mud puddles. The two subfamilies are the whites and the sulfurs.
Gossamer Wings (Lycaenidae): Small butterflies, many with reflective scales producing bright colors such as copper, blue, green, and purple. Caterpillars of several species associate with ants. The main subfamily includes blues, coppers, hairstreaks, elfins, and the harvester. Another subfamily represented here is the metalmarks.
Snout (Libytheidae): Medium-sized butterflies, with one species in North America, only a dozen or so worldwide. Characterized by elongated "snout," or labial palpi. Adults mimic dead leaves.
Brushfoots (Nymphalidae): Small to large butterflies. One of the largest families; members characterized by reduced forelegs. Includes 4 subfamilies considered here: brushfoots, leafwings, satyrs and wood numphs, and milkweed butterflies. Brushfoots are small to large butterflies and include fritillaries (some with metallic-silver markings), crescents (smallish species with pale crescents on hindwings beneath), checkerspots (often with checkerspot pattern above and/or below), angelwings (with angular wing borders), tortoiseshells, thistle butterflies, admirals, and sisters. The Hackberry Butterfly represents the leafwing species. Satyrs and wood nymphs are medium-sized, brownish species of grass and woodland areas. Milkweeds are largish butterflies of which three species occur in North America, the more common species being the Monarch and the Queen.
Skippers (Hesperiidae): A large family of small to medium-sized butterflies. Most have chunky bodies and hooked antenna clubs. Two subfamilies are represented here: the pyrgine skippers are normally dark, and some have iridescent scales or long tails; they often bask with their wings entirely open. Branded skippers are normally orange and black; many of the males have a stigma on the forewings above. Branded skippers often bask with forewings and hindwings at different angles or with wings closed.
[Walton, Richard K., National Audubon Society Pocket Guide; Familiar Butterflies of North America, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1996]
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