InsectNet forum

A few weeks ago, I sighted the largest example of Cercyonis pegala (https://bugguide.net/node/view/459) I've ever seen. A quite distinctive butterfly, and the background patterning on the verso is similar to that of some Caligo species -

I haven't seen that species in decades. The so-called "Common Wood Nymph" is anything but common in the Houston area. Where did you see yours? Interesting comparison to the owl butterfly. I never noticed the similarity.

58chevy wrote: ↑Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:20 pm I haven't seen that species in decades. The so-called "Common Wood Nymph" is anything but common in the Houston area. Where did you see yours?

Just west of DFW. I rarely see them myself, but if I were to set out some fruit baits, they would likely prove to be more abundant than it seems.

58chevy wrote: ↑Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:20 pm Interesting comparison to the owl butterfly. I never noticed the similarity.

They are in fact related, as they're both members of the satyrine clade. The Morphos and Charaxes are also in this group.

I get C pegala in the back yard. What's rare in some places is common as dirt in other places. I don't bother to collect them.

C. pegala is not uncommon, but quite local in the southern Appalachians. Generally if I see one, a bunch more are in the immediate area. The late-season females can be absolutely huge, but only worn, tattered ones ever seem to come to my bait traps.

jh

Here in Illinois I believe this has become a localized species. In all my years I have only known of one prairie haunt that harbored it.

Unfortunately, that very haunt underwent some ecological changes many years ago; so eventually the prairie habitat was overtaken by forest.

I personally have not seen the species in some 40 years.
I would probably have to head up north to our northern counties or south of Joliet Illinois in any hopes of finding it.

As a matter of fact I find all satyrines hard to find because I do not like to collect in areas of marshes or low-lying areas.

There is different subspecies, a lot of them without the beautiful yellow! I knew about this species before my first travel to the US as people sometimes mention it, but not about the color variations. I guess it is not that well collected as most Satyrinae, but it does show up in conversations every now and then.

On my first collecting trip in the US in 2013 I was in central Florida (Gainesville, FL) and I did find a specimen of Cercyonis pegala in February, but it was all brown without the yellow. I was pretty disappointed as I had hoped to see the subspecies shown in the top post.

I did find them another time, that was in June 2020 on a hiking trip in Cedar Hill State Park in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex (that isn't too far from you @58chevy if you ever come across Dallas). As it is a State Park I obviously had no net with me. In Dallas they have the beautiful yellow.

Take a look at this absolutely blurry picture I took with my phone:

nomihoudai wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:30 am There is different subspecies, a lot of them without the beautiful yellow!

This jogged my memory to add: at least in NE USA, the species is also quite variable. Particularly in the amount of "yellow" and the size of the eyespots. At the extremes, one could get two specimens from the same population and think they are different species. When an individual is encountered with lots of yellow and large eyespots it's readily (obviously) visible even when it's flying- in other words, an "impressive" pegala really stands out from the others, even when in flight.

Chuck wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 1:01 pm

nomihoudai wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:30 am There is different subspecies, a lot of them without the beautiful yellow!

This jogged my memory to add: at least in NE USA, the species is also quite variable. Particularly in the amount of "yellow" and the size of the eyespots. At the extremes, one could get two specimens from the same population and think they are different species. When an individual is encountered with lots of yellow and large eyespots it's readily (obviously) visible even when it's flying- in other words, an "impressive" pegala really stands out from the others, even when in flight.

And along the SE coast of the US, there are occasional specimens with the full yellow area, but only one eyespot.

jh

I collected in Canada 3 subspecies of C.pegala but none of them have yellow/orange area on the forewings.
They are all simply brown with sometime females a little lighter in the area where eye spots are.
C.pegala nephele is common in southern Ontario
C.pegala ariane inhabits Rocky Mountains in Alberta and is quite common there also
C.pegala ino can be found also in Alberta but in low altitude for example even at meadows in the city of Calgary.

I have only collected ssp nephele and I concur with Paul. They are also dirt common where I live.

Wow, those are impressive drawers of pegala.

C. pegala abbottii is the "one-eyed" form I mentioned in my Nov. 10 post above. Looks as if it is more predominant in Louisiana than on
the SC/GA coast, where I've only occasionally gotten it among a host of more common 2-eyed specimens.
jh

vabrou wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:04 pm Here in Louisiana, this species is difficult to near impossible to capture by net in woodland areas.

Interesting..."in woodland"??

In Upstate NY, pegala flies along the edges of woodlands, not in the forest. They are common in grasslands bordered by forest, and are very easily captured. I could take a dozen a day in my back yard, which is bordered by forest; I could catch fifty a day in my field work, even half-heartedly.

Now, Lethe (sp. unknown) is another story. I hate trying to catch those things, which I had to do for a cultural center this past summer. They typically are found (at least here) in young secondary growth, skinny trees, with lots of deadfall and face-height sticks. I get close to them, and they take off, landing on a tree three meters away...repeat and repeat.

Chuck wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 2:39 pm Now, Lethe (sp. unknown) is another story. I hate trying to catch those things, which I had to do for a cultural center this past summer. They typically are found (at least here) in young secondary growth, skinny trees, with lots of deadfall and face-height sticks. I get close to them, and they take off, landing on a tree three meters away...repeat and repeat.

Chuck,

Lethe (like pegala) are easily caught in bait traps. I've taken the 3 local southern Appalachian species (anthedon, appalachia, and creola) at bait in some very unlikely spots. Never see them flying there, but the bait traps catches them... sometimes very early in the morning.

jh