''Neonympha mitchellii'' is an endangered species of
nymphalid
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have a redu ...
butterfly of the eastern United States.
[ There are two known subspecies:][.]
*''N. m. mitchellii'', the nominate subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
, commonly called Mitchell's satyr or Mitchell's marsh satyr,[ The species is presumably extirpated from former ranges in Ohio (last seen in the 1950s), New Jersey (last seen in 1988), and Wisconsin.][
*'' N. m. francisci'', commonly called Saint Francis' satyr, is found in a single ]metapopulation
A metapopulation consists of a group of spatially separated populations of the same species which interact at some level. The term metapopulation was coined by Richard Levins in 1969 to describe a model of population dynamics of insect pests in ...
in a 10 × 10 km area of Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
in North Carolina.
Recent discoveries since 1998 of populations in Alabama, Mississippi, and Virginia are being studied for taxonomic classification, and may be grouped with ''N. m. mitchellii'' or be described as new subspecies.[
All subspecies, including those newly discovered, are federally protected under the ]Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of ec ...
.[
Its larvae can feed upon the highly-invasive Japanese stilt grass '' Microstegium vimineum'', so populations of this butterfly are potentially at risk from efforts to remove stilt grass. A butterfly of similar appearance, the Carolina satyr ('' Hermeuptychia sosybius''), is also able to feed upon stilt grass.]
Description
Both subspecies are small brown butterflies with a wingspan rage of 34–44 mm.[
Their eggs are greenish white to cream, becoming tan as they age.][ The larvae's dark head can be seen a day or two before hatching.][ First instar larvae, 3–4 mm long, have dark brown bilobed heads, while four subsequent instars, 6–12 mm long, have green bilobed heads, and green bodies with raised white ridges along the sides.][
The chrysalis are 10.5–15.5 mm long, suspended with the head down.][ It is a light lime green, with pale green or white speckling, and turns a medium brown about two days before eclosion.][
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3021145
Butterflies of North America
Neonympha
Butterflies described in 1889
ESA endangered species