Maine Butterfly Checklist
The following is a complete checklist of the butterfly species currently known from Maine. Accompanying the scientific and common names of each species is its breeding status and state conservation status. Information on the occurrence of these species comes from a variety of sources, including Brower (1974) and other publications, specimens contained in all major northeastern museums and many private collections, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) ecoregional survey project, and MDIFWıs rare species tracking database. A detailed list of contributing data sources is provided above.
Brower (1974) listed 103 species of butterflies and skippers for the state. Following a review of the sources listed above, an additional 11 species have been added bringing the stateıs total list to 114 species. A few of the additions are the result of taxonomic changes that split formerly one species into two, but most result from new species discoveries. Five of the 114 species are believed extirpated from Maine and ten have been listed as state endangered or special concern by MDIFW. Much has been learned regarding butterfly species rarity and threat in Maine since the previous state-listing process in 1997 (McCollough et al. 2003), and several revisions, mainly additions to the endangered and special concern list, are anticipated.
The nomenclature followed in this list follows Opler and Warren (2003) and includes all recent changes in nomenclature since the Miller and Brown (1981) Catalogue/Checklist of the Butterflies of America North of Mexico and the supplement by Ferris (1989).
Checklist and Breeding Status
of Maine Butterflies.
|
Scientific Name |
Subspecies
|
Common
Name
|
Status1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Family Hesperiidae |
|
Skippers |
|
|
Epargyreus clarus (Cramer) |
|
Silver-spotted Skipper |
BR |
|
Thorybes pylades (Scudder) |
|
Northern Cloudywing |
BR |
|
Thorybes bathyllus (J. E. Smith) |
|
Southern Cloudywing |
BR or RS |
|
Erynnis icelus (Scudder & Burgess) |
|
Dreamy Duskywing |
BR |
|
Erynnis brizo (Boisduval & LeConte) |
|
Sleepy Duskywing |
BR |
|
Erynnis juvenalis (Fabricius) |
|
Juvenalıs Duskywing |
BR |
|
Erynnis persius (Scudder) |
|
Persius Duskywing |
EX |
|
Pholisora catullus (Fabricius) |
|
Common Sootywing |
BR or RS |
|
Carterocephalus palaemon (Pallas) |
mandon (W. H. Edwards) |
Arctic Skipper |
BR |
|
Ancyloxypha numitor (Fabricius) |
|
Least Skipper |
BR |
|
Thymelicus lineola (Ochsenheimer) |
|
European Skipper |
BR |
|
Hesperia comma (Linnaeus) |
laurentina (Lyman) |
Laurentian Skipper |
BR |
|
Hesperia leonardus Harris |
|
Leonardıs Skipper |
BR |
|
Hesperia metea Scudder |
|
Cobweb Skipper |
BR |
|
Hesperia sassacus Harris |
|
Indian Skipper |
BR |
|
Polites peckius (W. Kirby) |
|
Peckıs Skipper |
BR |
|
Polites themistocles (Latreille) |
|
Tawny-edged Skipper |
BR |
|
Polites origines (Fabricius) |
|
Crossline Skipper |
BR |
|
Polites mystic (W. H. Edwards) |
|
Long Dash Skipper |
BR |
|
Wallengrenia egeremet (Scudder) |
|
Northern Broken Dash |
BR |
|
Pompeius verna (W. H. Edwards) |
|
Little Glassywing Skipper |
BR |
|
Anatrytone logan (W. H. Edwards) |
|
Delaware Skipper |
BR |
|
Poanes hobomok (Harris) |
|
Hobomok Skipper |
BR |
|
Poanes viator (W. H. Edwards) |
zizaniae (Shapiro) |
Broadwinged Skipper |
BR |
|
Euphyes bimacula (Grote & Robinson) |
|
Two-spotted Skipper |
BR |
|
Euphyes vestris (Boisduval) |
metacomet (Harris) |
Dun Skipper |
BR |
|
Amblyscirtes hegon (Scudder) |
|
Pepper & Salt Skipper |
BR |
|
Amblyscirtes vialis (W. H. Edwards) |
|
Common Roadside Skipper |
BR |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Family Papilionidae |
|
Swallowtails |
|
|
Battus philenor (Linnaeus) |
|
Pipevine Swallowtail |
RS |
|
Papilio polyxenes Fabricius |
asterius (Stoll) |
Black Swallowtail |
BR |
|
Papilio glaucus Linnaeus |
|
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail |
RS |
|
Papilio canadensis Rothschild & Jordan |
|
Canadian Tiger Swallowtail |
BR |
|
Papilio troilus Linnaeus |
|
Spicebush Swallowtail |
RS or RC; SC |
|
Papilio cresphontes Cramer |
|
Giant Swallowtail |
RS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Family
Pieridae |
|
Sulphurs and Whites |
|
|
Pontia protodice (Boisduval & LeConte) |
|
Checkered White |
RC |
|
Pieris rapae (Linnaeus) |
|
Cabbage Butterfly |
BR |
|
Pieris oleracea Harris |
|
Mustard White |
BR |
|
Colias philodice Godart |
|
Clouded Sulphur |
BR |
|
Colias eurytheme (Boisduval) |
|
Alfalfa Butterfly |
BR |
|
Colias interior Scudder |
|
Pink-edged Sulphur |
BR |
|
Phoebis sennae (Linnaeus) |
|
Cloudless Sulphur |
RS |
|
Phoebis philea (Linnaeus) |
|
Orange-barred Sulphur |
RS |
|
Phoebis agarithe Boisduval |
|
Large
Sulphur |
RS |
|
Pyrisitia lisa (Boisduval & LeConte) |
|
Little Sulphur |
FS |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Family Lycaenidae |
|
Hairstreaks, Blues,
Coppers, and Harvesters |
|
|
Subfamily Miletinae |
|
Harvesters |
|
|
Feniseca tarquinius (Fabricius) |
|
Harvester |
BR |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Subfamily Lycaeninae |
|
Hairstreaks, Blues, and
Coppers |
|
|
Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus) |
hypophlaeas Boisduval; not americana Harris (See Emmel & Pratt 1998) |
American Copper |
BR |
|
Lycaena hyllus (Cramer) |
|
Bronze Copper |
BR |
|
Lycaena epixanthe (Boisduval & LeConte) |
|
Bog Copper |
BR |
|
Lycaena dorcas (W. Kirby) |
claytoni Brower |
Claytonıs Copper |
BR; EN |
|
Callophrys hesseli (Rawson & Ziegler) |
|
Hesselıs Hairstreak |
BR: EN |
|
Callophrys gryneus (Hübner) |
|
Olive Hairstreak |
BR; SC |
|
Callophrys augustinus (Westwood) |
|
Brown Elfin |
BR |
|
Callophrys polios (Cook & Watson) |
|
Hoary Elfin |
BR |
|
Callophrys irus (Godart) |
|
Frosted Elfin |
EX |
|
Callophrys henrici (Grote & Robinson) |
|
Henryıs Elfin |
BR |
|
Callophrys lanoraieensis (Sheppard) |
|
Bog Elfin |
BR; SC |
|
Callophrys niphon (Hübner) |
clarki (T. N. Freeman) |
Eastern Pine Elfin |
BR |
|
Callophrys eryphon (Boisduval) |
|
Western Pine Elfin |
BR; SC |
|
Satyrium titus (Fabricius) |
|
Coral Hairstreak |
BR |
|
Satyrium acadica (W. H. Edwards) |
|
Acadian Hairstreak |
BR |
|
Satyrium edwardsii (Grote & Robinson) |
|
Edwardsı Hairstreak |
BR; EN |
|
Satyrium calanus (Hübner) |
falacer (Godart) |
Banded Hairstreak |
BR |
|
Satyrium liparops (LeConte) |
strigosum (Harris) |
Striped Hairstreak |
BR |
|
Strymon melinus (Hübner) |
|
Grey Hairstreak |
BR |
|
Erora laeta (W. H. Edwards) |
|
Early Hairstreak |
BR |
|
Cupido comyntas (Godart) |
|
Eastern Tailed Blue |
BR |
|
Cupido amyntula (Boisduval) |
maritima (LeBlanc) |
Western Tailed Blue |
BR |
|
Celastrina lucia (W. Kirby) |
Populations from northern
black spruce bogs may represent another species. C. ladon
(Cramer) applies to another species that has not yet been found in Maine but
could occur in southern parts of the state. |
Spring Azure (and what is
often referred to as the Cherry Gall Azure) |
BR |
|
Celastrina neglecta (W. H. Edwards) |
|
Summer Azure |
BR |
|
Glaucopsyche lygdamus (Doubleday) |
couperi Grote |
Silvery Blue |
BR |
|
Plebejus idas (Linnaeus) |
empetri (T. N. Freeman) |
Crowberry Blue |
BR; SC |
|
Plebejus melissa (W. H. Edwards) |
samuelis Nabokov |
Karner Blue |
EX2 |
|
Plebejus saepiolus (Boisduval) |