Satyr Comma

The satyr comma can be commonly found throughout the Nearctic. Individuals have been seen distributed throughout portions of North America and are particularly associated with habitats containing suitable larval host plants. The species has been recorded to be from multiple different habitat types, including grassland and Great Plains ecosystems. Recent surveys in eastern New Mexico documented new locality records for the species in the Llano Estacado region, extending known records in the area.

Polygonia satyrus undergoes complete metamorphosis just like the other members of the genus Polygonia. They develop through egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. The larvae pass through five instars before they go through pupation. In Colorado, it has been reported that the species produces two generations per year at lower elevations and one generation per year at higher elevations. The larvae feed on the host plants stinging nettles and the common hop before they pupate and emerge as adults.

Egg. The eggs of Polygonia satyrus are green and have vertical and horizontal ribs. Before hatching, the eggs of the butterfly turn slightly black with a silvery, reflective, transparent shell as the larvae become more visible.

Larvae. In the first stage of larvae, the head is black without patterns or horns. The body is dark brown with long black setae, brown bump-like bases with pale cream-white bumps and few creamy sublateral dashes. The second stage larvae develop 2 short spiny black horns. The body becomes reddish brown. In the third stage, the black head develops a cream notch on top running forward to form an inverted V on its face with a cream band on its body. The fourth larval instar resembles the mature larva but differs in having more orange-colored spines (scoli). …