''Phyciodes phaon'', the Phaon crescent or mat plant crescent, is a species of

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

found in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, neighboring states, west to New Mexico and south to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

(since the 1930s) and the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory, and the largest by population. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located so ...

where it is known as the crescent spot.R. R. Askew and P. A. van B. Stafford, ''Butterflies of the Cayman Islands'' (Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2008) , pp. 55-56

Mating behavior

There are several flights (early spring to late fall) in the northern part of the range and nearly year round in peninsular Florida. Males patrol open areas near host plants for females. Mating occurs primarily during mid-day. Eggs are laid in clusters on the undersides of leaves of the fogfruit host plants. The common host throughout much of Florida is turkey tangle fogfruit (''

Phyla nodiflora ''Phyla nodiflora'', commonly known as lippia, kurapia, and frogfruit, is a species of flowering plant in the family Verbenaceae. It can be found in the tropics around the globe. It is often grown as an ornamental plant for ground cover, and is o ...

'').

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3381812 Melitaeini Butterflies described in 1864 Taxa named by William Henry Edwards Butterflies of Cuba Lepidoptera of the United States