Who am I? ²

Hellooo, I am the American snout or Libytheana carinenta. You can probably see why I am called that (insert
gentle nose nudge). We are also a migratory species! But like the Painted Lady butterflies, we do it rather irregularly. We will be around when you least expect it! Just kidding, a scientist has done research on us in the past and he found that there was a positive correlation between our population explosions and how intense and long a drought is before a rain comes along. Oh yeah, and you might have also noticed that we look rather bland, almost like... dead leaves? Yes, yes we do. We look like this when our wings are closed, at least. It's cool, isn't it? I have to go though, I'll see ya around!

Quick facts ²

Common name: American Snout

Scientific name:Libytheana carinenta (Cramer 1777)

Characteristics:

• Wing span: 1 3/8 - 2 inches (3.5 - 5 cm)
• Labial palps (l'il butterfly lips) are elongated, forming a "snout"
• Forewings have a squared-off tip
• Upperside is brown with dashes of orange near the bases
• Underside can be mottled or a smooth violet-gray

Host plant: Prefers hackberry trees (Celtis spp.)

Nectar plant: Various flowers and fermenting fruit. A few flowers include those from aster, dogbane, dogwood, goldenrod, and sweet pepperbush

Distribution: S. United States, Mexico, Argentina. May frequent in eastern United States as well

Flight times: Known for irregular mass migrations north due to rapid population growths. Typically two broods per year. See seasonality: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/58561-Libytheana-carinenta

Read more about us here: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/american_snout.htm

Where can you find me on campus? ²

American Snouts do not appear to have a particular flower preference. There are only two observations of them on campus, both of which seem to be near infrastructure. More might be sighted on other flowers planted around campus or near the host plants (hackberry trees), which are primarily clustered around the Art and Drama buildings. There is also one in front of the Animal Comparative and Biomedical Sciences building.

A complete list can be found using the campus arboretum's website: https://apps.cals.arizona.edu/arboretum/taxon.aspx?id=63.

References ²

Animal Diversity Web – University of Michigan, https://animaldiversity.org/

Bug Guide – Iowa State University, https://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

Butterflies and Moths of North America - Metalmark Web and Data, https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Libytheana-carinenta

Discover Life, https://www.discoverlife.org/

Encyclopedia of Life, https://eol.org/

Featured Creatures - University of Florida, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/american_snout.htm

iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/home

Texas A&M Agrilife Extension, https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/snout-butterfly/

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Maxine Cruz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Maxine Cruz
2. (c) Maxine Cruz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Maryland Moths
• Mass Moths
• Moth Photographers Group
• Moths of North Carolina
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths
• TexasEnto

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