Pine Elfin (Callophrys sp.)

Description

Appearance

Pine elfins are small, tailless butterflies with a wingspan of about 25 to 35 mm. Above they are plain brown, darker in males and more orange-brown in females, but the butterfly rests with its wings closed over its back, so the underside is what you see. It is boldly banded in browns, with a pale-edged line across the forewing and a strongly patterned hindwing marked with dark zigzag chevrons. The wing edges look slightly scalloped.

Two pine elfins look alike, the Eastern Pine Elfin (Callophrys niphon) and the Western Pine Elfin (Callophrys eryphon). Look at the underside of the wings:

• Forewing cell: The Eastern usually has two distinct dark bars across the cell, the box in the middle of the forewing. The Western usually has only one bar at the end of the cell, and a second one, if present, is faint and irregular.
• Dark line across the forewing: In the Eastern it is usually broken and offset. In the Western it is straighter.
• Hindwing chevrons: In the Eastern they are rounder and more evenly curved. In the Western they are sharply angled and often pointed, so the zigzag looks bolder.
• Hindwing edge: The Eastern usually has a hoary gray band near the edge, with a nearly continuous line of dark marks just beyond the chevrons. The Western has little gray there, and the marks beyond the chevrons tend to be rounded spots.

Both species vary, and some specimens cannot be told apart, so this specimen is listed as Callophrys sp.

Habitat and Range

Pine elfins live in pine forests and woodlands, in forest openings and edges, and in old fields and sandy areas where young pines grow. The Eastern Pine Elfin ranges from Nova Scotia west to eastern Alberta and south to northern Texas, the Gulf Coast, and northern Florida. The Western Pine Elfin ranges from British Columbia east to Maine and south to southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico, mostly in mountains and broken country with pines. In the Black Hills of South Dakota, the state butterfly checklist lists the Western Pine Elfin. Some of our specimens were collected near Hot Springs, South Dakota.

Behavior

Pine elfins fly in spring, with one flight a year that lasts only a few weeks. Males perch on pine trees, shrubs, and small trees and wait for females, and they defend their perch from other males. Males also gather on roads and bare ground to sip moisture. Both sexes visit flowers for nectar.

Life Cycle

Complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult), with one generation a year. The female lays her eggs one at a time on new pine needles. The green caterpillars have light stripes along the body and blend in with the needles they eat. Hosts include hard pines such as jack pine, scrub pine, lodgepole pine, limber pine, and ponderosa pine, and the Eastern Pine Elfin also uses white pine. The chrysalis spends the winter, and the adult emerges the next spring.

Economic Impact

Pine elfins are not known as significant pests. The caterpillars eat young pine needles, but both species are considered secure and are not known to cause real damage.

This preserved specimen educates on butterfly diversity and pine forest insects, suitable for displays or studies. Check it out on BugGuide! https://bugguide.net/node/view/3029