Nymphalidae
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The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies.
These are typically fairly large butterflies, such as the emperor, admirals, tortoiseshells and fritillaries, which have very colourful wings. However, the underwings are dull and often look like dead leaves, which produces a cryptic effect that helps the butterfly disappear in its surroundings.
The front two legs are small, so these butterflies are effectively four-legged. The caterpillars are hairy or spiky, and the chrysalids have shiny spots.
Several species are attracted to Buddleia, a butterfly host plant.
Classification
There are four major clades within Nymphalidae, the danaine clade (subfamily Danainae), the satyrine clade (which includes the subfamilies Charaxinae, Satyrinae, Calinaginae and Morphinae), the heliconiine clade (including Heliconiinae and Limenitidinae excluding Biblidini, Cyrestini, Pseudergolini, and Coeini) and the nymphaline clade (including Nymphalinae, Apaturinae, and Coeini, Cyrestini, Pseudergolini, and Biblidini from the Limenitidinae). The danaine clade is the most basal group and the heliconiine and nymphaline are sister groups.The current classification of Nymphalidae includes the following subfamilies:
- Apaturinae
- Biblidinae
- Calinaginae
- Charaxinae
- Cyrestinae
- Danainae
- Heliconiinae
- Libytheinae
- Limenitidinae
- Morphinae
- Nymphalinae
- Satyrinae
- Archdukes, genus Lexias
- Brown (or Scarlet) peacock, Anartia amathea
- California tortoiseshell, Nymphalis californica
- Comma, Polygonia c-album
- Common buckeye, Junonia coenia
- Cracker butterflies, genus Hamadryas
- Crimson Patch, Chlosyne janais
- Gatekeeper Butterfly, Pyronia tithonus
- Gulf Fritillary, Argyronome laodice
- Lorquin's Admiral, Limenitis lorquini
- Malachite, Siproeta stelenes
- Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia
- Meadow Brown, Maniolis jurtina
- Mourning cloak, Nymphalis antiopa
- Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexipus
- Morpho
- * Blue Morpho, Morpho menelaus
- * Sunset Morpho, Morpho hecuba
- Niobe Fritillary, Argynnis niobe
- One-spotted prepona, Archaeoprepona demophon
- Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui
- Peacock, Inachis io
- Queen (butterfly), Danaus gilippus
- Question Mark, Polygonia interrogationis
- Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta
- Sara Longwing, Heliconius sara
- Silver-washed Fritillary, Argynnis paphia
- Small Heath, Coenonympha pamphilus
- Small Tortoiseshell, Nymphalis urticae
- Speckled Wood, Pararge aegeria
- White peacock, Anartia jatrophae
- the Satyridae or Browns
- the Danaidae or Milkweed butterfly
- the Heliconiidae, colourful tropical butterflies noted for Müllerian mimicry
- the Libytheidae, or snout butterflies
Diagnostic characters
From Bingham, C.T. (1905) Fauna of British India. Butterflies. Vol. 1.
- Imago. Fore wing; submedian, or vein 1, simple, in one subfamily forked near base ; median vein with three branches, veins 2, 3 and 4; veins 5 and 6 arising from the points of junction of the discocellulars; subcostal vein and its continuation beyond apex o£ cell, vein 7, with never more than four branches, veins 8-11 ; 8 and 9 always arising from vein 7, 10 and also 11 sometimes from vein 7 but more often free, i.e. given off by the subcostal vein before apex of cell. Hind wing: internal (1 a) and precostal veins present. Cell in both wings closed or open, often closed in the fore, open in the bind wing. Dorsal margin of hind wing channelled to receive the abdomen in many of the forms. Antennae always with two grooves on the underside; club variable in shape. Throughout the family the front pair of legs in the male, and with three exceptions (Libythea, Pseudergolis and Calinaga) in the female also, is reduced in size and functionally impotent; in some the atrophy of the fore legs is considerable, e.g. Danainae and Satyrinae In many of the forms of these subfamilies the fore legs are kept pressed against the underside of the thorax, and are in the male often very inconspicuous.
External links
- Nymphalidae [thumbnail images] and [species list], Butterflies of North America web site, United States Geological Survey Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center.
- "[Nymphalidae]", Nymphalidae Systematics Group, Stockholm University.
- * [Higher level systematics of the Nymphalidae PDF]
- "[Family Nymphalidae]", Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (2003).
- Peter Chew, "[Danaids and Browns - Family Nymphalidae]", Brisbane butterflies web site (2005).
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