Who am I? ²

Hello hello, I am the Arizona metalmark (Calephelis arizonensis). There is not a lot of information on us, unfortunately. Perhaps because we are currently and rarely only observed in a specific region of southern Arizona near Nogales. Hopefully that will change in the future!

Quick facts ²

Common name: Arizona Metalmark

Scientific name:Calephelis arizonensis (McAlpine 1971)

Characteristics:

• Looks similar to the Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis), but with a more reddish hue

Host plant: One source suggests Arizona beggarticks (Bidens aurea) may be a host

Nectar plant: Unknown, could be various

Distribution: Limited to a small SE region of Arizona near Mexico

Flight times: Appears to be most frequently seen from August to October. See seasonality: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/182712-Calephelis-arizonensis

Current information here: https://peecnature.org/butterflies-of-new-mexico/metalmarks-riodinidae/

Where can you find me on campus? ²

More observations and research may need to be done to have a more accurate prediction of where these butterflies may be found on campus. Currently, most observations are near Nogales, and there is only one observation in all of Tucson. They seem to prefer streams along mountain foothills.

References ²

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/Calephelis-arizonensis

Butterflies of New Mexico - Pajarito Environmental Education Center, https://peecnature.org/butterflies-of-new-mexico/metalmarks-riodinidae/

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

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

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

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
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Moth Photographers Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

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