Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Southern Pearly-eye
Enodia portlandia (Fabricius, 1781)


Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Satyrinae
Identification: Antennal clubs are orange. Upperside is brown with dark eyespots at the margins. Underside is light brown; submarginal row of 4 spots (Florida females may have 5) on forewing is slightly curved and brown line inside this spot row is straight or zigzagged. Spots are encircled by diffuse white.
Wing Span: 2 3/16 - 2 3/4 inches (5.6 -7 cm).
Life History: Males perch on tree trunks, sometimes head downward, to wait for females. Eggs are laid singly on or near the host plant; caterpillars feed on leaves. Older caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: Three broods from March-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Bamboo switch cane (A. tecta).
Adult Food: Sap, rotting fruit, carrion, dung.
Habitat: Shady, damp woods near stream-fed swamps.
Range: Eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas east through the southeastern United States.
Conservation: Its swamp forest habitats are gradually disappearing in the Southeast.
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Conserve and minimally manage all remaining habitats.
Comments: NULL
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