Variable checkerspot

Variable checkerspot
E. chalcedona in William O. Douglas Wilderness
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Euphydryas
Species:	E. chalcedona
Binomial name
Euphydryas chalcedona (Doubleday, 1847)

The variable checkerspot or chalcedon checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in western North America, where its range stretches from Alaska in the north to Baja California in the south and extends east through the Rocky Mountains into Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming. The butterfly is usually brown or black with extensive white and yellow checkering and some red coloration on the dorsal wing. Adult wingspan is 3.2–5.7 cm (1.3–2.2 in). Adult butterflies feed on nectar from flowers while larvae feed on a variety of plants including snowberry (Symphoricarpos), paintbrush (Castilleja), Buddleja, Diplacus aurantiacus and Scrophularia californica.

During the breeding period, males congregate around larval host plants to encounter females. Males court female butterflies via physical displays. Successful courtship leads to copulation, when the male deposits a nutrient-rich spermatophore in the female. In addition, males also secrete a mating plug during copulation that hinders the ability of females to mate with other males.

Pregnant females look for host plants like Diplacus aurantiacusthat are close to nectar sources when they lay their eggs. The larvae that emerge from the eggs feed and live on these host plants, some of which have developed strategies to deter larvae from eating their leaves. After moving to a darker and more secluded site, larvae enter diapause, emerging between January and March with pupation usually beginning in April.

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