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Red-Spotted Purple
Scientific Name: Limenitis arthemis astyanax
Family Name: Lycaenidae
Serendipity Ranch
Columbus, North Carolina
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Most authorities consider that the Red-spotted Purple is conspecific with the White Admiral, the former being a southerly subspecies, the latter northerly. The southern subspecies, with its largely black and iridescent blue upper wing surfaces, is considered a mimic of the Pipevine Swallowtail, which is toxic to predators. Because pipevines are not found in the White Admiral's range, such mimicry would have no selective advantage -- and, indeed, it does not take place. Identification: Wingspan 3 - 3 3/8 inches. Above: black with iridescent blue at borders and several white spots at forewing tips. Below: brownish with submarginal and basal brick-red marks. Habitat: Open hardwood forests, woodland edges; also washes and canyons in the Southwest. Range: New England to the Dakotas and to the Gulf states; also Arizona and New Mexico. Life Cycle: Host plants are willows (Salix), poplars (Populus), and wild cherries (Prunus). Adults, 1 - 3 flights. [Walton, Richard K., National Audubon Society Pocket Guide; Familiar Butterflies of North America, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1996]
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