Cercyonis pegala

Cercyonis pegala, male

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Cladus: Obtectomera
Superfamilia: Papilionoidea

Familia: Nymphalidae
Subfamilia: Satyrinae
Tribus: Satyrini
Subtribus: Coenonymphina
Genus: Cercyonis
Species: Cercyonis pegala
Subspecies: C. p. agawamensis – C. p. alope – C. p. ariane – C. p. australosierra – C. p. boopis – C. p. carsonensis – C. p. gabbii – C. p. incana – C. p. ino – C. p. nephele – C. p. olympus – C. p. paludum –C. p. paucilineatus –C. p. pluvialis – C. p. stephensi – C. p. texana – C. p. utahensis – C. p. walkerensis – C. p. wheeleri
Name

Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius, 1775)

Type locality: USA, South Carolina
Synonyms

Papilio Pegala Fabricius, 1775

References

Austin, G.T. 1992: Cercyonis pegala (Fabricius) (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) in the great basin: new subspecies and biogeography. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum, 135 1-60. Full article (pdf). Reference page.
Emmel, J.F. , T.C. Emmel & K. Davenport 2008: A new subspecies of Cercyonis pegala Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Satyridae) from the Southern Sierra Nevada of California. Bulletin of the Allyn Museum 157: 1–5.
Fabricius, 1775 Syst. Ent.: 494
Lamas, 2004, Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera; Checklist: Part 4A; Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea.

Vernacular names
English: Common Wood-Nymph

The common wood-nymph (Cercyonis pegala) is a North American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is also known as the wood-nymph, grayling,[2] blue-eyed grayling,[3] and the goggle eye.[4]

Description
Dorsal view
Cercyonis pegala museum specimen

The common wood-nymph can vary greatly.[5] All individuals are brown with two eyespots on each forewing – the lower one often being larger than the upper one. Some may have many, few, or no eyespots on the ventral surface of the hindwing. In the southeastern part of its range, it has a large yellow patch on both surfaces of the forewing. In the western part of its range, it may have a pale yellow patch or may be lacking one. Individuals in the Northeast also lack the yellow patch, i.e., C. p. nephele. In individuals with no yellow patch, there are two pale yellow eye rings that encircle both the forewing eyespots.[6] The wingspan measures 5.3 to 7.3 cm (2.1 to 2.9 in).[2]
Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognized:

Cercyonis pegala abbotti (Brown, 1969)
Cercyonis pegala alope (Fabricius, 1793) – Texas
Cercyonis pegala ariane (Boisduval, 1852) – Oregon, Utah
Cercyonis pegala blanca (Emmel & Mattoon, 1972)
Cercyonis pegala boopis (Behr, 1864) – British Columbia
Cercyonis pegala damei (Barnes & Benjamin, 1926)
Cercyonis pegala ino (Hall, 1924) – prairies
Cercyonis pegala nephele (Kirby, 1837) – northern Canada and US
Cercyonis pegala olympus (Edwards, 1880)
Cercyonis pegala pegala (Fabricius, 1775) - eastern US
Cercyonis pegala stephensi (Wright, 1905)
Cercyonis pegala texana (Edwards, 1880) – Texas
Cercyonis pegala wheeleri (Edwards, 1873)

Similar species

In the western part of the common wood-nymph's range, there are a few similar species. The Great Basin wood-nymph (Cercyonis sthenele) and the small wood-nymph (Cercyonis oetus) are smaller, and the lower forewing eyespot is smaller than the upper one. Mead's wood-nymph (Cercyonis meadii) has a bright red-orange area on the ventral forewing.[6]
Range and distribution

The common wood-nymph ranges from Nova Scotia and Quebec west to northern British Columbia south to northern California southeast to Texas and east to northern Florida.[6]
Habitat

The common wood-nymph is found in a variety of open habitats, such as open woodlands, woodland edges, fields, pastures, wet meadows, prairies, salt marshes, and savannas.[3][7]
Flight period

The common wood-nymph is found from mid-May to early October in the eastern part of its range.[3] It is found from late June to early July in California[4] and Arizona.[8] It has one brood per year throughout its entire range.[6]
Adult food sources

The common wood-nymph feeds on nectar, tree sap, and decaying matters.[3][7] Some of the plants it nectars on include:[7]

Asclepias tuberosa – butterfly weed
Cirsium arvense – Canada thistle
Cirsium vulgare – bull thistle
Daucus carota – wild carrot
Dipsacus sylvestris - teasel
Monarda fistulosa – wild bergamot
Pycnanthemum virginianum – Virginia mountain mint
Rudbeckia hirta – black-eyed susan
Trifolium pratense – red clover
Vernonia gigantea – tall ironweed

Life cycle
C. p. nephele, mating

The female common wood-nymph is the active flight partner.[2] The female lays her eggs on or near the host plant. The egg is pale yellow, later turning to a tan color with orange or pink blotches. The caterpillar makes no shelters or nests.[4] It is green or yellowish green with darker green stripes that run the length of the body. It has two short pinkish projections on the end of the abdomen. It has yellow spiracles and is covered in thin, white hairs. The caterpillar will reach a length of 5 cm (2 in). The common wood-nymph caterpillar is very similar to satyr caterpillars in the genera Hermeuptychia, Cyllopsis, and Neonympha. It can be separated by its larger size and habitat.[9] The pale green chrysalis is striped in white or pale yellow. The first instar caterpillar hibernates.[4]
Host plants

Here is a list of host plants used by the common wood-nymph:[3][8][9]

Andropogon sp. – beard grasses
Danthonia spicata – poverty oatgrass
Poa pratensis – Kentucky bluegrass
Schizachyrium sp. – bluestems
Tridens flavus – purple top

References

Walker, A., Geest, E. & Royer (2022). "Cercyonis pegala ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T125855753A125886118. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-3.RLTS.T125855753A125886118.en. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
Shull, Ernest M. (1987). The Butterflies of Indiana. Indiana: Indiana Academy of Science. pp. 227–230. ISBN 0-253-31292-2.
Cech, Rick; Tudor, Guy (2005). Butterflies of the East Coast. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 221. ISBN 0-691-09055-6.
Scott, James A. (1986). The Butterflies of North America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. pp. 240–241. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4.
Calhoun, John (2016). "A reevaluation of Papilio pegala F. and Papilio alope F., with a lectotype designation and a review of Cercyonis pegala (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) in eastern North America". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 70: 20–46.
Brock, Jim P.; Kaufman, Kenn (2003). Butterflies of North America. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. p. 236. ISBN 0-618-15312-8.
Iftner, David C.; Shuey, John A.; Calhoun, John V. (1992). Butterflies and Skippers of Ohio. Ohio: College of Biological Sciences and The Ohio State University. p. 147. ISBN 0-86727-107-8.
Stewart, Bob; Brodkin, Priscilla; Brodkin, Hank (2001). Butterflies of Arizona. Arcata, CA: West Coast Lady Press. p. 216. ISBN 0-9663072-1-6.

Wagner, David L. (2005). Caterpillars of Eastern North America. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 135. ISBN 0-691-12144-3.

Darby, Gene (1958). What is a Butterfly. Chicago: Benefic Press. p. 37.