North American Ecology (US and Canada)
provided by North American Butterfly Knowledge Network
Limenitis lorquini is resident to the western United States and southwestern Canada (Scott 1986). Habitats are upper Sonoran to Canadian zone mountain canyons and deciduous woods. Host plants are trees and shrubs and include many species from families Saliaceae, Rosaceae and Rhamnaceae. Eggs are laid on the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as half-grown larvae in a hibernaculum. There are several flights each year from April1-Oct 31 in the southern part of their range, and one flight between June 1-Aug.15 in the north. (Scott 1986).
Conservation Status
provided by University of Alberta Museums
Rare; S1/S2 provincial rank and status in Alberta is "Sensitive".
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Cyclicity
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Adults fly from June to September; peaking in July (Bird et al., 1995).
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Distribution
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Its core Canadian range lies in coastal and southern British Columbia and there is one outlying population in the Cypress Hills of Saskatchewan (Layberry et al., 1998). Its range extends south from Canada to southern California and Baja California and east to western Montana and Idaho (Opler et al., 1995).
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General Description
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"Although this is a large butterfly, it is slightly smaller than other admirals, with a wingspan of 51 to 67 mm. Dorsal wing surface is black with white median bands on all wings; the distinctive forewing tips are orange. Ventral wing surface is reddish-brown with white marginal bands. It is easily distinguished from Weidemeyer's Admiral (L. weidemeyerii) and the White Admiral (L. arthemis) as they lack the orange forewing tips. However, this species hybridizes with White Admirals (L. arthemis) in southern Alberta. Hybrids have the orange wing tips as well as a wider white band on the fore and hindwings.
The pale green eggs of L. lorquini are thimble-shaped and have deep pitted cells. There are fine glassy hairs where cells meet (Guppy & Shepard, 2001).
Early instar larvae have large dark brown heads and olive green bodies with a pair of tubercles on the thorax and two pairs of tubercles on the abdomen. Late instar larvae resemble leaf droppings, mottled with olive and yellow and have a white patch on their back. The hump on the larvae of this species is smaller than those found on larvae of other admiral species (Guppy & Shepard, 2001).
Pupae are large and have a keel projecting from the back of the thorax. The wings and the back of the abdomen are dark green-grey, the thorax is mottled (Guppy & Shepard, 2001)."
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Habitat
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Lorquin's Admiral is found in meadows or streambeds, near woodlands in extreme southwestern Alberta.
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Life Cycle
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Males perch in valley bottoms all day to watch for females and defend territories (Guppy & Shepard, 2001). Eggs are laid on the upperside of host plant leaf tips (Bird et al., 1995). Larvae feed on leaves and developing larvae overwinter in rolled leaf shelters or hibernaculum (Acorn, 1993; Bird et al., 1995).
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Trophic Strategy
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Unknown for Alberta. Elsewhere, larvae feed on willows (Salix sp.), aspen (Populus sp.), apple, saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia), Cotoneaster sp., hardhack (Spiraea sp.), hawthorn (Crateagus sp.), and cherry (Prunus sp.)(Bird et al., 1995; Layberry et al., 1998; Guppy & Shepard, 2001). Adults have been reported to feed on flower nectar, willow sap, bird droppings, and dung (Opler et al., 1995).
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Lorquin's admiral
provided by wikipedia EN
Lorquin's admiral (Limenitis lorquini) is a butterfly in the Nymphalinae subfamily. The butterfly is named after Pierre Joseph Michel Lorquin, a French naturalist who came to California from France during the Gold Rush, and made important discoveries on the natural history of the terrain.[1]
Description
The Lorquin's admiral has brown-black wings, each with a row of white spots across it. Its forewings have orange tips. Wingspan: 47 to 71 mm; females are generally larger than males.[2]
Distribution and habitat
The Lorquin's admiral can mostly be found across the Upper Sonoran to the Canadian Zone, east to western Montana and Idaho. Known areas include southern British Columbia (including Vancouver Island, north of Emerald Lake), and Cypress Hills in southwestern Saskatchewan as well as southwestern Alberta. The butterfly resides mostly in forest edges, mountain canyons, parks, streamsides, fencerows, orchards, and groves of cottonwood and poplar. Usually the butterflies feed on California buckeye, yerba santa, privet, bird droppings, and dung.[3] They are extremely territorial and will attack any intruders into their habitat, including large birds.
Larvae
Larvae are usually yellow with a patch of white on the back. Eggs are laid near or on the tips of leaves. Common trees that the larvae feed on include willow (Salix), poplar, cherry (Prunus), cottonwood (Populus), and an assortment of orchard trees, including cherry, apple, and plum.
Flight season
The Lorquin's admiral usually flies around April to October, though it depends on the region. Butterflies in northern areas tend to have one brood a year (usually between June and August) whereas southern butterflies (mainly in California) tend to have multiple broods.
Similar species
References
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Lorquin's admiral: Brief Summary
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Lorquin's admiral (Limenitis lorquini) is a butterfly in the Nymphalinae subfamily. The butterfly is named after Pierre Joseph Michel Lorquin, a French naturalist who came to California from France during the Gold Rush, and made important discoveries on the natural history of the terrain.
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