Enodia portlandia
Encyclopedia
The Southern Pearly Eye, Portland Pearlyeye or just Pearly Eye (Enodia portlandia) is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae
family. It is found from eastern Oklahoma
and eastern Texas
east through the south-eastern United States
.
The wingspan
is 56-70 mm. The upperside is brown with dark eyespots at the margins. The underside is light brown. Adults feed on sap, rotting fruit, carrion and dung.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Arundinaria tecta. The species overwinters in the larval stage.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
family. It is found from eastern Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and eastern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
east through the south-eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 56-70 mm. The upperside is brown with dark eyespots at the margins. The underside is light brown. Adults feed on sap, rotting fruit, carrion and dung.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Arundinaria tecta. The species overwinters in the larval stage.
Subspecies
- Enodia portlandia portlandia
- Enodia portlandia floralae (Heitzman & dos Passos, 1974)
- Enodia portlandia missarkae (Heitzman & dos Passos, 1974)