''Polygonia egea'', the southern comma, is a

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 ...

of the family

Nymphalidae 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 ha ...

. It is found in southern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The butterfly flies from March to September depending on the location. The larvae feed on ''

Parietaria officinalis ''Parietaria officinalis'', the eastern pellitory-of-the-wall, also known as upright pellitory and lichwort, is a plant of the nettle family. Its leaves, however, are non-stinging. The plant grows on rubbish and on walls, hence the name. The pol ...

'' in Europe.In the Transcaucasus on ''

Parietaria judaica ''Parietaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae, native to temperate and tropical regions across the world.Flora Europaea''Parietaria''/ref>African Flowering Plants Database''Parietaria'' (enter genus name in search box)/ref ...

'' and in Turkey ''

Parietaria ''Parietaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae, native to temperate and tropical regions across the world.Flora Europaea''Parietaria''/ref>African Flowering Plants Database''Parietaria'' (enter genus name in search box)/ref ...

'' and ''

Urtica ''Urtica'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae. Many species have stinging hairs and may be called nettles or stinging nettles (the latter name applying particularly to ''Urtica dioica, U. dioica''). The generic name ''Urtica' ...

''.

Description in Seitz

''P. egea'' Cr. (= ''triangulum'' F., ''i album'' Esp., female = ''vau album'' Esp.) (64c). A species similar to c-album with the wings more strongly dentate and narrower, and the underside more thinly marmorated and pencilled, the hindwing beneath bearing in the centre a white angle-, hook- or J-mark. The female flying at the same season as the nymotypical has the wings less sharply dentate, is paler, less prominently and more sparsely marked. Ab. ''autumnalis'' Curo (? Stefan, i. 1.) (64c as ''j-album'') is the autumn-form, which has the wings more strongly angulate and of a darker ground-colour. The spots are very prominent, the distal margin of both wings is darkened, the light submarginal spots of the hindwing are very distinct, though small and isolated, and the underside is darkened. — The larva of the species feeds on Picrataria diffusa Keh. (Urticaceae) in July and October; as food-plants are also mentioned ''Ulmus'', ''Urtica'', ''Ribes'', ''Lonicera'', ''Corylus'' (Spuler). It is blackish or slaty grey, with yellow and black belts, the body bearing minute white hairs and dark branched spines; on the back there are pairs of large bluish black spots on a pale ground; the spirales are edged with yellowish, beneath them there being a reddish yellow line; the head heart-shape with 2 spine-like processes. Pupa grey-brown, tuberculate above, without metallic spots, the head not produced. Stichel, H. in Seitz, A. ed. Band 1: Abt. 1, ''Die Großschmetterlinge des palaearktischen Faunengebietes, Die palaearktischen Tagfalter'', 1909, 379 Seiten, mit 89 kolorierten Tafeln (3470 Figuren)

References

Nymphalini Butterflies described in 1775 Butterflies of Europe Taxa named by Pieter Cramer {{Nymphalinae-stub