Monday, August 27, 2007

Satyr Comma - Polygonia satyrus

This is a new one for me! Info below and taken from enature. Bless them!

Most anglewings look rust-orange as they flash by; the Satyr is golden. Its broods are not so strikingly different from each other as are those of the Question Mark and the Comma. The Satyr roughly replaces the Comma as the common anglewing of the West; it is not entirely clear just how the 2 species relate in eastern Canada. The Satyr Anglewing is not to be confused with the satyrs of the family Satyridae; fanciful lepidopterists dubbed them both satyrs because they inhabit woodland glades. Other mythological rustic deities are commemorated in this group of anglewings, including Faunus, Zephyr, and Oreas, as well as the nymphs, for whom the family Nymphalidae is named.

description 1 3/4-2" (44-51 mm). Wing margins ragged. Bright tawny-golden above with black blotches. HW above lacks strong dark margin, having only band of golden spots narrowly lined with brown. Beneath, male bright yellow-tan marked with tiny dots and striations; female brown, slightly violet-tinged, darker on basal half. Silver comma mark in HW below clubbed or hooked.

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