Red-spotted Admiral (Butterflies of Alabama)

Red-spotted Admiral

Limenitis arthemis

Summary ⁷

The White Admiral or Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis) is a polytypic species of North American brush-footed butterfly, common throughout much of the eastern United States. L. a. astyanax has red spots on its underside and the top of the wings are notable for their iridescent blue markings. L. a. arthemis on the other hand has a large white band traversing both the forewings and hindwings.

General description ⁸

Similar to our other two species of true admirals (Limenitis). The White lacks the rust-coloured forewing tips of Lorquin's (L. lorquini), and has a row of reddish spots bordering the outside of the hindwing white band. Their ranges overlap only in the Waterton - Crowsnest region, where hybrid individuals exhibiting characters intermediate between the White and Lorquin's are sometimes found. L. arthemis also has more orange on the hindwing upperside than Weidemeyer's (L. weidemeyerii), and has a red-brown hindwing underside base rather than predominantly white. Hybrids between these two species sometimes also occur. The western Canadian populations are subspecies rubrofasciata.