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Gorgone Checkerspot

Chlosyne gorgone, Hübner, (1810)

Subfamily Nymphalinae

Tribe Melitaeini

Taxonomy

The family Nymphalidae is the largest butterfly family and includes about 6,000 species which are further divided up into 12 subfamilies.  The common name for the family is the Brushfoots or Brushfooted Butterflies.  This strange name is because the first pair of legs are significantly reduced, sometimes to mere stubs, and look like little brushes.  Some of the most common and well known species are in this group such as the Monarch, Red Admiral, Blue Morpho and Painted Lady.  Some of the longest lived butterflies are in this family with some species living over 10 months as adults.  The Brushfoots are distributed worldwide, with the highest diversity found in the tropics.  With this variety, there is also quite a difference in behavior, adult food choices and habitat preference from species to species.

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Chlosyne gorgone, Denbigh Experimental Forest, McHenry County, North Dakota, 4 June 2003                                                                                        Ref #:  I-164-13.7

Chlosyne gorgone, Denbigh Experimental Forest, McHenry County, North Dakota, 4 June 2003         Ref #:  I-163-13.6

Chlosyne gorgone, Denbigh Experimental Forest, McHenry County, North Dakota, 4 June 2003                                                                                           Ref #:  I-163-19

Chlosyne gorgone, Square Butte, Little Missouri National Grassland, Golden Valley County, North Dakota, 16 May 2004                                                            Ref #:  I-238-9.5

Chlosyne gorgone, mated pair, Denbigh Experimental Forest, McHenry County, North Dakota, 4 June 2003                                                                     Ref #:  I-165-6.3

Chlosyne gorgone, mated pair, Denbigh Experimental Forest, McHenry County, North Dakota, 4 June 2003

                                                        Ref #:  I-165-8.1

Chlosyne gorgone, mated pair, Square Butte, Little Missouri National Grassland, Golden Valley County, North Dakota, 8 May 2004                                         Ref #:  I-235-4.2

General Information:

Chlosyne gorgone belongs to the subfamily Nymphalinae.  Its range is the Great Plains and surrounding states with a few isolated colonies in the Appalachians and the east slope of the Rocky Mountains.  Its preferred habitat includes ridges, prairies, streamsides, open hardwood forests, old fields and forest edges.

Lifecycle:

The larval food source includes several plants in the family Asteraceae including sunflower, Helianthus sp., and crosswort, Lysimachia sp.  Males perch or patrol to find females.  Females lay eggs in clusters on underside of host plant leaves.  Caterpillars eat leaves and young caterpillars feed in groups.  Third instar caterpillars hibernate.

Chlosyne gorgone, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 16 May 2012                                                                                      Ref #:  I-513-5

Chlosyne gorgone, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 31 May 2012                                                                                   Ref #:  I-521-3.4

Chlosyne gorgone, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 16 May 2012                                                                                      Ref #:  I-513-4

Maximilian Sunflower, Helianthus maximilianii, a common larval food source, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma                     Ref #:  F-56-12.3

Maximilian Sunflower, Helianthus maximilianii, a common larval food source, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma                 Ref #:  F-54-14.3

Maximilian Sunflower, Helianthus maximilianii, a common larval food source, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma                         Ref #:  F-56-8

Chlosyne gorgone, larva on Purple Coneflower, Echinacea sp., Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 9 May 2012              Ref #:  I-508-5.4

Chlosyne gorgone, larvae feeding gregariously on Black-eyed Susan,  Rudbeckia hirta, one mile south of Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 18 June 2012                                                                                Ref #:  I-527-11.2