|
The variable checkerspot or chalcedon checkerspot (''Euphydryas chalcedona'') is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in western North America, where its range stretches from Alaska in the north to Baja California in the south and extends east through the Rocky Mountains into Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming. The butterfly is usually brown or black with extensive white and yellow checkering and some red coloration on the dorsal wing.〔 http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/nymph/chalcedo.htm〕 Adult wingspan is 3.2 cm–5.7 cm (1.3–2.3 in). Adult butterflies feed on nectar from flowers while larvae feed on a variety of plants including snowberry (''Symphoricarpos''), paintbrush (''Castilleja''), ''Buddleja, Diplacus aurantiacus'' and ''Scrophularia californica''. During the breeding period, males congregate around larval host plants to encounter females.〔 Males court female butterflies via physical displays.〔Rutowski, Ronald L., and George W. Gilchrist. "Courtship, Copulation and Oviposition in the Chalcedon Checkerspot,(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)." Journal of Natural History 21.5 (1987): 1109-117.〕 Successful courtship leads to copulation, when the male deposits a nutrient-rich spermatophore in the female. In addition, males also secrete a mating plug during copulation that hinders the ability of females to mate with other males.〔 Pregnant females look for host plants like ''Diplacus aurantiacus''that are close to nectar sources when they lay their eggs.〔 The larvae that emerge from the eggs feed and live on these host plants, some of which have developed strategies to deter larvae from eating their leaves.〔 After moving to a darker and more secluded site, larvae enter diapause, emerging between January and March with pupation usually beginning in April.〔 The variable checkerspot is a food source for many avian predators.〔 Due to a larval diet rich in iridoid compounds such as catalpol,〔 the butterfly has developed a strategy of unpalatability to deter avian predation.〔Lincoln, David E., and Harold A. Mooney. "Herbivory on Diplacus Aurantiacus Shrubs in Sun and Shade." Oecologia 64.2 (1984): 173-76.〕 In addition, coloring plays a part in the defense strategy of the butterfly; intense red coloration deters predators from attacking them.〔 ==Taxonomy== The variable checkerspot is a member of the order Lepidoptera, which contains the butterflies and the moths. It belongs to the family Nymphalidae, which also includes the tortoiseshells and the admirals.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=778054 )〕 The variable checkerspot is part of the genus Euphydryas, which contains other checkerspot butterflies like ''Euphydryas editha'' and ''Euphydryas phaeton''. There are ten subspecies of ''Euphydryas chalcedona''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.gbif.org/species/4299304 )〕 Additional information is required to determine the conservation status of some subspecies. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Variable checkerspot」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|