Map Snapshot
142 Records
Status
Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon) is another interesting and elusive member of the genus Callophrys. This species prefers pines as a larval food, and as one would expect, is usually found in forests with a substantial component of pine. This butterfly ranges statewide, and likely occurs in the few county it has not been recorded in yet. It has a single flight period in spring, from April to early June (Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist by Lynn Davidson & Richard Smith; Brock & Kaufman 2003; BAMONA site; Allen 1997).
Relationships
Various pines (Pinus sp.)
Seasonality Snapshot
Source: Wikipedia
| Eastern pine elfin | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Callophrys |
| Species: | C. niphon
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| Binomial name | |
| Callophrys niphon (Hübner, 1823)
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| Synonyms | |
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Callophrys niphon, the eastern pine elfin, is a species of Lycaenidae that is native to North America.
Description
[edit]It is similar to the western pine elfin but has two dark bars instead of one in the forewing underside cell with strong patterning on the underside. The wingspan ranges from 22–27 mm (0.87–1.06 in).[2]
Life history
[edit]There is one flight from March to April in the south, while it occurs between mid-May and early June in the north.[2] Females will lay eggs singly on flower buds. The caterpillars eat both the flower and the developing seedpods. Chrysalids hibernate in loosely formed cocoons beneath litter below the plant. Larval foods include jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and white pine (Pinus strobus).[2]
Range
[edit]They range across most of the eastern United States and the southern parts of the provinces of Canada.[2] Within this range they tend to sandy areas with pine trees.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Callophrys niphon Eastern Pine Elfin". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e EasternPine Elfin, Butterflies of Canada