Comptons Tortoiseshell

Nymphalis vaualbum

comptons


Common names include False Comma (true comma's are in the genus Polygonia).

Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/8 inches (3.2 - 3.5 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Aspen and cottonwood (Populus), willows (Salix), gray birch (Betula populifolia), and paper birch (B. papyrifera).

Eggs are laid in groups and caterpillars feed together.

Habitat: Old brushy fields, pastures, clearings, headlands.

Flight time is July through October/November.

Adults hibernate under loose bark, in tree cavities, under eaves or in outbuildings.


Pictures taken July 22, 2009.



indianSkipper2


The picture above and to the left are of the same indiviual. This is the first time I have been able to clearly document the Comptons Tortoiseshell on Crex.

The only Tortoiseshell/Comma I can ID from underwing views is the Mourning Cloak. All the others I need an upperwing shot to confirm the type of butterfly I am seeing.

The Comptons Tortoiseshell has one white spot in each outside corner area of both the upper and hindwing visible on the upperside of the wings. These white spots will separate the Comptons Tortoiseshell from the other commas. The Milberts tortoiseshell does not have the brown spotting on the upper wings that the Compton Tortoiseshell has.

The Vanessa's (Painted and American Lady) do not have the 'tail' of the Comptons Tortoiseshell and they have multiple white spots on the upper side. From below, the Comptons Tortoiseshell is much more plain than the designs on the lower wings of the Vanassa's.


Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Superclass Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Subclass Pterygota (Winged Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies)
Family Nymphalidae (Brushfooted Butterflies)
Subfamily Nymphalinae (Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc.)
Genus Nymphalis (Tortoiseshell)
Species vau-album (Compton Tortoiseshell)



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