ID help

[Paul Lagasi]

Took this yesteday..I've seen them before..many of them around and lots of Mourning Cloaks also....is this a Comma?
D300
nikon 300 2.8 w 1.4
handheld
f5
1/2500
iso-800
+0.7ev

[Julie Kenward]

Boy, Paul, you've got me stumped. I've looked through both my butterfly books and it's not an exact match to anything but very close to several.

I don't think it is a comma because they have more of a swallowtail appearance with areas of the wings that come to points and this doesn't appear to have those. It's close to the fritillary's and the checkerspot butterflies as well as the Lady's (West Coast, Painted and American) but the markings on your BF isn't an exact match to any of the subcatagories according to my books. My guess is we're either looking at a female and the book is showing males (or vice versa) or you have a cross-breed here.

Anybody else have a guess?

[Bob Allen]

Paul,

It's somewhere in the comma group, in the genus Polygonia.
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/s...hbox=Polygonia

My guess is Polygonia faunus
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1757

But to really tell, I need to see the underside.

[John Chardine]

Hey Paul- This is the Compton Tortoiseshell Nymphalis vaualbum. It is a new world member of the brush-footed butterfly family. Commas, questionmarks, admirals and mourning cloaks are in this family and membership now includes for example the monarchs.

[Paul Lagasi]

Thanks to all, John good one..forgot about that conversation in car about butteflies..Spring is here