Speyeria hesperis nausicaa (Edwards, 1874)

Dunford, James C., 2009, Taxonomic overview of the greater fritillary genus Speyeria Scudder and the atlantis - hesperis species complexes, with species accounts, type images, and relevant literature (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Insecta Mundi 2009 (90), pp. 1-74 : 42

Speyeria hesperis nausicaa (Edwards, 1874)

( Figure 44 )

Argynnis Nausicaa Edwards, 1874b: 104 .

Argynnis ? aphrodite form Arizonensis Elwes, 1889: 546 (synonymized by dos Passos and Grey 1947). Speyeria atlantis nausicaa (Edwards) [ dos Passos and Grey 1947].

Speyeria hesperis nausicaa (Edwards) [ Scott et al. 1998].

Common names. Nausicaa fritillary, Arizona fritillary, Arizona silverspot.

Type deposited. Lectotype (male) designated by dos Passos and Grey (1947) at Carnegie Museum of Natural History ( Figure 44 ).

Type locality. Rocky Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona ( dos Passos and Grey 1947). However, Brown (1965) believed that the collection date may have been misread by Edwards, and states the collector (H. W. Henshaw) was likely at Rock Canyon, Graham County, Arizona.

Type label data. “ Nausicaa [male] Ariza. Wheeler Ex type; lectotype Argynnis nausicaa [male] W. H. Edwards designated by dos Passos and Grey 1947 ” .

Identification, taxonomy, and variation. This subspecies is one of the larger ones within the hesperis complex. Adult wingspan ranges from 60-75 mm. Adults are similar in appearance to S. h. dorothea, but there is usually some white or grey overscaling discally on the underside of S. h. nausicaa. The forewings are pointed, and the ventral hindwing spots are always silver with the discal area violaceous in color. There may be two ‘forms’ of S. h. nausicaa that occur in Arizona, one form, darker basally on the dorsal surface of the wings, flies at or above 10,000ft.

Range. Central and western Arizona above the Mogollon Rim. It also occurs in western New Mexico.

Life history. Adults are active in the mid morning hours in open sunny areas ( Figure 50 ). Afternoon rains during the summer months in the Arizona mountains may hinder their daily activities (personal observations at Hospital Flat, Mt. Graham). Adults will become inactive fairly rapidly when the sun is covered by clouds. Howe (1975) noted that adults settle with their wings horizontal against the ground in the late afternoon sunshine along dirt roads in the White Mountains of Arizona.

Larval host plants. Viola spp.

Figures

Figure 41-45. Type images for Speyeria spp.; dorsal, ventral, and label images. 41) Speyeria hesperis electa lectotype, described as Argynnis Electa, male, CMNH. 42) Speyeria hesperis nikias lectotype, described as Argynnis nikias, male, CMNH. Now synonymized under Speyeria hesperis electa (Scott et al. 1998). 43) Speyeria hesperis schellbachi holotype, described as Speyeria atlantis schellbachi, male, LACM. 44) Speyeria hesperis nausicaa lectotype, described as Argynnis Nausicaa, male, CMNH. 45) Speyeria hesperis dorothea holotype, described as Speyeria atlantis dorothea, male, AMNH. Images 41-42 and 44-45 by James C. Dunford; 43 by Weiping Xie.

Figure 49-52. Habitat pictures by James C. Dunford. 49) Lamoille Canyon, Ruby Mountains, Nevada. 50) Hospital Flat, near Mt. Graham, Pinaleño Mountains, Arizona. 51) Open glade in Sandia Mountains, New Mexico. 52) Roadside flowers, Capitan Mountains, New Mexico.