Polygonia satyrus

Polygonia satyrus is resident to the western United States and across southern Canada (Scott 1986). Habitats are along streams and valley bottoms. Host plants are herbaceous and shrubs and primarily restricted to a few species in three families, Urticaceae, Moraceae, and Salicaeae. Eggs are laid on the host plant singly, or in stacks of three or four eggs. Individuals overwinter as adults. There are a variable number of flights each year based on latitude, with one flight, mostly late July in the northern part of the range, three flights between Feb. 1- Nov.30 in the furthest southern part of their range (Scott 1986).

Satyr Commas have a striped (in males) or evenly-coloured (females) brown underside rather than two-toned grey like the other Polygonia species (except for the Question Mark, which is larger and has a violet upperside wing border). Satyrs are sexually dimorphic, and the underside of the female has a more monotone, smooth brown underside than the male.

Found throughout the boreal region of Canada from the central Yukon and southern Northwest territories east and south New England. South in the western US to New Mexico and California (Layberry et al. 1998, Opler 1999).

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) North America west of the Rockies, from British Columbia to Mexico; also east to Newfoundland and Maine.

In woodlands throughout the province, particularly in the boreal and parkland regions.

Comments: Apparently much like P. COMMA generally near trees but probably can breed in almost any setting with nettles. It is primarily a boreal forest and woodland species often near streams.

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

The larvae have only been found on stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) in Canada (Layberry et al. 1998).

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 81 to >300

10,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

Adults feed on flower nectar, sap and mud. Males perch for females (Scott, 1986).

One brood per year, appearing in early spring (April to May) and again in August to October.

The eggs are whitish and have 10 to 12 vertical ribs. Mature larvae have a black, bilobed head with each lobe bearing a spine; the body is black with greenish white lines and black chevron marks along the dorsum, and is covered in branched spines (Scott 1986, Layberry et al. 1998). The pupa is tan-coloured with a sivler patch below the thorax (Scott 1986). Adults live longer than most other butterflies since they hibernate; eggs are laid in the spring by overwintered females, and the next generation is on the wing by late summer. One of the first butterflies to appear in spring, becoming active in April, occasionally earlier with warm weather spells.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 17 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 17
Specimens with Barcodes: 54
Species With Barcodes: 1

No concerns.

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Degree of Threat: D : Unthreatened throughout its range, communities may be threatened in minor portions of the range or degree of variation falls within natural variation

Global Protection: Many to very many (13 to >40) occurrences appropriately protected and managed