Butterflies of Grand Canyon National Park
Submitted by: Paul A. Opler
Modified from Garth (1950)
PARNASSIANS AND SWALLOWTAILS: Papilionidae
Swallowtails: Subfamily Papilioninae
____ Pipevine Swallowtail Battus philenor (Linnaeus)
____ Old World Swallowtail Papilio machaon Linnaeus
____ Indra Swallowtail Papilio indra Reakirt. Subspecies kaibabensis Bauer was
described from Bright Angel Point in the park (Bauer, 1955). The park is
the place where this subspecies is most abundant.
____ Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus Lucas
____ Two-tailed Swallowtail Papilio multicaudatus W.F. Kirby
WHITES AND SULPHRS: Pieridae
Whites: Subfamily Pierinae
____ Pine White Neophasia menapia (C. and R. Felder)
____ Becker's White Pontia beckerii (W.H. Edwards)
____ Spring White Pontia sisymbrii (Boisduval)
____ Checkered White Pontia protodice (Boisduval and Leconte)
____ Western White Pontia occidentalis (Reakirt)
____ Southwestern Orangetip Anthocharis thoosa (Scudder)
Sulphurs and Yellows: Subfamily Coliadinae
____ Orange Sulphur Colias eurytheme Boisduval
____ Southern Dogface Zerene cesonia (Stoll)
____ Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae (Linnaeus)
____ Mexican Yellow Eurema mexicana (Boisduval)
____ Sleepy Orange Eurema nicippe (Cramer)
____ Dainty Sulphur Nathalis iole Boisduval
COPPERS, HAIRSTREAKS, AND BLUES: LYCAENIDAE
Coppers: Subfamily Lycaeninae
____ Tailed Copper Lycaena arota (Boisduval). Subspecies schellbachi was
described by Tilden (1955) from Bright Angel Trail.
____ Blue Copper Lycaena heteronea Boisduval
Hairstreaks: Subfamily Theclinae
____ Colorado Hairstreak Hypaurotis crysalus (W.H. Edwards)
____ Great Purple Hairstreak Atlides halesus (Cramer)
____ Behr's Hairstreak Satyrium behrii (W.H. Edwards)
____ Hedgerow Hairstreak Satyrium saepium (Boisduval)
____ Western Green Hairstreak Callophrys affinis (W.H. Edwards)
____ Thicket Hairstreak Callophrys spinetorum (Hewitson)
____ Juniper Hairstreak Callophrys gryneus (Hubner)
____ Western Pine Elfin Callophrys eryphon (Boisduval)
____ Gray Hairstreak Strymon melinus Hubner
Blues: Subfamily Polyommatinae
____ Western Pygmy-Blue Brephidium exile Scudder
____ Marine Blue Leptotes marina (Reakirt)
____ Ceraunus Blue Hemiargus ceraunus (Fabricius)
____ Reakirt's Blue Hemiargus isola (Reakirt)
____ Eastern Tailed-Blue Everes comyntas (Godart)
____ Spring Azure Celastrina ladon (Cramer)
____ Western Square-dotted Blue Euphilotes battoides (Behr)
____ Spalding's Dotted-Blue Euphilotes spaldingi (Barnes and McDunnough)
____ Silvery Blue Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Doubleday)
____ Melissa Blue Lycaeides melissa (W.H. Edwards)
____ Greenish Blue Plebejus saepiolus (Boisduval)
____ Boisduval's Blue Icaricia icarioides (Boisduval)
____ Lupine Blue Icaricia lupini (Boisduval)
____ Arctic Blue Agriades glandon (de Prunner)
METALMARKS: RIODINIDAE
____ Mormon Metalmark Apodemia mormo (C. Felder & R. Felder)
BRUSHFOOT BUTTERFLIES: NYMPHALIDAE
Snout butterflies: Subfamily Libytheinae
____ American Snout Libytheana carinenta (Cramer)
Longwings and fritillaries: Subfamily Heliconiinae
____ Variegated Fritillary Euptoieta claudia (Cramer)
____ Coronis Fritillary Speyeria coronis (Behr)
____ Northwestern Fritillary Speyeria hesperis (W.H. Edwards).
Subspecies schellbachi by Garth (1949).
Brushfoots: Subfamily Nymphalinae
____ Dotted Checkerspot Poladryas minuta (W.H. Edwards)
____ Fulvia Checkerspot Thessalia fulvia (W.H. Edwards)
____ Sagebrush Checkerspot Chlosyne acastus (W.H. Edwards)
____ Tawny Crescent Phyciodes batesii (Reakirt)
____ Field Crescent Phyciodes pratensis (Behr)
____ Pale Crescent Phyciodes pallida (W.H. Edwards)
____ Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylitta (W.H. Edwards)
____ Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedona (Doubleday)
____ Satyr Comma Polygonia satyrus (W.H. Edwards)
____ Hoary Comma Polygonia gracilis (Grote and Robinson)
____ California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica (Boisduval)
____ Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus)
____ American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Drury)
____ Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus)
____ West Coast Lady Vanessa annabella (Field)
____ Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus)
Admirals and relatives: Subfamily Limenitidinae
____ Viceroy Limenitis archippus (Cramer)
____ Weidemeyer's Admiral Limenitis weidemeyerii (W.H. Edwards)
____ California Sister Adelpha bredowii Geyer
Leafwings and relatives: Subfamily Charaxinae
____ Empress Leilia Asterocampa leilia (W.H. Edwards)
Satyrs and Woodnymphs: Subfamily Satyrinae
____ Canyonland Satyr Cyllopsis pertepida (Dyar)
____ Common Ringlet Coenonympha tullia (Muller). Subspecies furcae described by
Barnes and Benjamin (1926) from Grand Canyon, Arizona.
____ Mead's Wood-Nymph Cercyonis meadii (W.H. Edwards)
____ Small Wood-Nymph Cercyonis oetus (Boisduval)
____ Ridings' Satyr Neominois ridingsii (W.H. Edwards)
Royalty: Subfamily Danainae
____ Monarch Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus)
____ Queen Danaus gilippus (Cramer)
THE SKIPPERS: Superfamily Hesperioidea, Family Hesperiidae
Spread-wing Skippers, Pyrgines: Subfamily Pyrginae
____ Silver-spotted Skipper Epargyreus clarus (Cramer)
____ Northern Cloudywing Thorybes pylades (Scudder)
____ Dreamy Duskywing Erynnis icelus Scudder and Burgess
____ Sleepy Duskywing Erynnis brizo (Boisduval and Leconte)
____ Rocky Mountain Duskywing Erynnis telemachus Burns
____ Funereal Duskywing Erynnis funeralis (Scudder and Burgess)
____ Afranius Duskywing Erynnis afranius (Lintner)
____ Small Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus scriptura (Boisduval)
____ Common Checkered-Skipper Pyrgus communis (Grote)
____ Northern White-Skipper Heliopetes ericetorum (Boisduval)
____ Mohave Sootywing Hesperopsis libya (Scudder)
Skipperlings: Subfamily Heteropterinae
____ Russet Skipperling Piruna pirus (W.H. Edwards)
Grass Skippers: Subfamily Hesperiinae
____ Garita Skipperling Oarisma garita (Reakirt)
____ Orange Skipperling Copaeodes aurantiaca (Hewitson)
____ Fiery Skipper Hylephila phylaeus (Drury)
____ Juba Skipper Hesperia juba (Scudder)
____ Pahaska Skipper Hesperia pahaska (Leussler)
____ Draco Skipper Polites draco (W.H. Edwards)
____ Woodland Skipper Ochlodes sylvanoides (Boisduval)
____ Yuma Skipper Ochlodes yuma (W.H. Edwards)
____ Taxiles Skipper Poanes taxiles (W.H. Edwards)
____ Dun Skipper Euphyes vestris (Boisduval)
____ Deva Skipper Atrytonopsis deva (W.H. Edwards)
____ Python Skipper Atrytonopsis python (W.H. Edwards)
Giant Skippers: Subfamily Megathyminae
____ Yucca Giant-Skipper Megathymus yuccae (Boisduval and Leconte)
NOTE: A number of species are misidentified in the publication by
Garth, hence the differences in some species-level names in the
above list. Additional name changes are due to subsequent
taxonomic changes.
References
Barnes, W. and F.H. Benjamin. 1926. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy
of Sciences 25: 90.
Bauer, D.L. 1955. Lepidopterists' News 9: 49-50.
Garth, John S. 1949. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences
48: 1-4.
Garth, John S. 1950. Butterflies of Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon
Natural History Association, Bulletin 11, 52 pp., map.
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-
Mifflin Co., Boston, 540 pp.
Tilden, J.W. 1955. Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 54: 72.
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