Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

Disclaimer: This material is being kept online for historical purposes. Content is no longer being updated and may contain broken links.


Santa Barbara Field Guides - Butterflies
Lepidoptera
   Riodinidae

     Apodemia mormo
     Mormon Metalmark


upperside
underside

Size: Wingspread 0.75- 1 in.
Recognition: Dark with white spots; bronze-red coloring in FW and a little in HW; black/white striped antennae which are often held parallel; green eyes; underside brown and gray, with rusty orange at base of FW.
Flight period: Adults are active from early summer to fall.
Hostplants: The larvae feed on buckwheats (Eriogonum), particularly E. fasciculatum.
Habitat: The Mormon Metalmark is found in a variety of habitats, particularly disturbed open areas, including beach and dune areas, chaparral, ridgetops, and along dry streams.
Distribution: The Mormon Metalmark ranges throughout the western U.S. and northwestern Mexico.
Other: The Mormon Metalmark is extremely variable across its range, and probably represents a complex of several species. One form, called Lange's Metalmark, occurring in the Antioch Dunes in the San Francisco Bay area, is listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

previous species                     Family list     Riodinidae                    
© Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History