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Comma (butterfly)
Encyclopedia
The Comma is a species of butterfly
that ranges across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan and south to Morocco. Similar species are found in the United States and Canada.
. The wings have a distinctive ragged edge, apparently a cryptic form as the butterfly resembles a fallen leaf. The caterpillar
s are also cryptic, resembling a bird dropping. In the U.K the larvae feed on hop
, stinging nettle
, elm
, and blackcurrant
; in other parts of its distribution (e.g., in Sweden) it also feeds on sallow and birch
.
The species survives the winter in the adult stage, and adults are of two forms. The form that overwinters before reproducing has dark undersides of the wings, whereas the form that develops directly to sexual maturation has lighter colured wing undersides. Both forms can arise from eggs laid by the same female, depending mainly on the photoperiods experienced by the larvae, but also with an influence of host plants, temperature and sex of individuals.
, and is also resident in Scotland and in North Wales
.
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...
that ranges across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan and south to Morocco. Similar species are found in the United States and Canada.
Subspecies
- P. c. imperfecta (Blachier, 1908) North Africa
- P. c. extensa (LeechJohn Henry LeechJohn Henry Leech John Henry Leech John Henry Leech (5 December 1862- 29 December 1900, Salisbury was an English entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera.His collections from China , Japan and Kashmir are in the Natural History Museum , London.These contain also insects from...
, [1892]) West China, Central China - P. c. kultukensis Kleinschmidt, 1929 Transbaikalia
- P. c. hamigera (ButlerArthur Gardiner ButlerArthur Gardiner Butler was an English entomologist, arachnologist and ornithologist...
, 1877) Ussuri - P. c. koreana BrykFelix BrykFelix Bryk was a Swedish anthropologist, entomologist and writer.In entomological circles Felix Bryk is best known as a lepidopterist, but he made significant anthropological...
, 1946 Korea - P. c. sachalinensis MatsumuraShonen Matsumurawas a Japanese entomologist .Born in Akashi, Hyōgo, Dr. Shonen Matsumura established Japan’s first course on entomology at Hokkaido University .The courses were both applied and theoretical...
, 1915 Sakhalin - P. c. asakurai (Nakahara, 1920) Taiwan
- P. c. agnicula (MooreFrederic MooreFrederic Moore FZS was a British entomologist. It has been said that Moore was born at 33 Bruton Street but may be incorrect given that this was the address of the menagerie and office of the Zoological Society of London from 1826 to 1836.Moore was appointed an assistant in the East India Company...
, 1872) Nepal
Description
The Comma has a white marking on its underwings resembling a commaComma (punctuation)
The comma is a punctuation mark. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline of the text. Some typefaces render it as a small line, slightly curved or straight but inclined from the vertical, or...
. The wings have a distinctive ragged edge, apparently a cryptic form as the butterfly resembles a fallen leaf. The caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s are also cryptic, resembling a bird dropping. In the U.K the larvae feed on hop
Hop
Hop or hops may refer to:* Hop, a kind of small jump, usually using only one leg* Hop , a genus of climbing flowering plants* Hops, the female flower clusters of one species of hop, used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer...
, stinging nettle
Stinging nettle
Stinging nettle or common nettle, Urtica dioica, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America, and is the best-known member of the nettle genus Urtica...
, elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
, and blackcurrant
Blackcurrant
Blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum, is a species of Ribes berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia, and is a perennial....
; in other parts of its distribution (e.g., in Sweden) it also feeds on sallow and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
.
The species survives the winter in the adult stage, and adults are of two forms. The form that overwinters before reproducing has dark undersides of the wings, whereas the form that develops directly to sexual maturation has lighter colured wing undersides. Both forms can arise from eggs laid by the same female, depending mainly on the photoperiods experienced by the larvae, but also with an influence of host plants, temperature and sex of individuals.
History
In the 19th century the British population of the Comma crashed, and by 1920 there were only two sightings. The cause for this decline is unknown, but from about 1930 the population recovered and it is now one of the more familiar butterflies in Southern EnglandSouthern England
Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
, and is also resident in Scotland and in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
External links
- Comma page from the UK Butterflies site
- Comma page from the Butterfly Conservation site
- UK Safari