Chlosyne palla, the northern checkerspot, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae that is found in North America. They range from southern British Columbia to Alberta, south to California, Utah, and Colorado, excluding Nevada.[1][2]

Northern checkerspot
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Chlosyne
Species:
C. palla
Binomial name
Chlosyne palla
(Boisduval, 1852)[1]
Synonyms
  • Melitaea palla Boisduval, 1852

Description

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The adult may be often confused with the others of the palla group, sagebrush checkerspot (C. acastus) and Hoffmann's checkerspot (C. hoffmanni).[3] The adult's wingspan is 30–48 mm (1.2–1.9 in).[1][3] The upperside of the wing has a pattern of dark brown, light orange and tan. The underside of the wing has alternating red and yellow cells.[3]

Life cycle

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There is one flight that occurs between April and May or to July in mountainous or northerly areas.[1] The caterpillar of this species feeds on goldenrod (Solidago), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus), and asters.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Northern Checkerspot, Butterflies and Moths of North America
  2. ^ Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman (2003) Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-15312-8.
  3. ^ a b c Northern Checkerspot, Butterflies of Canada
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