Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalinae)

Brush-footed Butterflies True Brushfoots (Nymphalinae) Banded Peacock California Tortoiseshell Common Buckeye Mangrove Buckeye Malachite Butterfly Mourning Cloak White Peacock Checkerspot Butterflies Bordered Patch Crimson Patch Rosita Patch Comma Butterflies Gray Comma Green Comma Hoary Comma Satyr Comma Crescents California Crescent Field Crescent Mylitta Crescent Pale-banded Crescent Pearl Crescent Phaon Crescent Texan Crescent Vesta Crescent Vanessa American Lady and West Coast Lady Painted Lady Red Admiral Additional Brush-footed Butterflies Admirals and Relatives California Sister Common Mestra Crackers Lorquin's Admiral Mexican Bluewing Viceroy Emperors Empress Leila Tawny Emperor Leafwings Goatwing Leafwing Longwings Callippe Fritillary Great Spangled Fritillary Gulf Fritillary Hydaspe Fritillary Julia Longwing Mexican Fritillary Mormon Fritillary Pacific Fritillary Variegated Fritillary Zebra Longwing Milkweed Butterflies Monarch Butterfly Queen Butterfly Soldier Butterfly Satyrinae Carolina Satyr Common Ringlet Common Wood Nymph Great Arctic Small Wood Nymph Southern Pearly Eye Snouts American Snout

Typically the front pair of legs on members of the family Nymphalidae are shorter than the other legs, giving the family the common name, brush-footed butterflies.

In North America, the Brush-footed butterflies are typically the larger, and often orangish colored butterflies that occupy multiple habitats, including residential areas.

The family usually divides into nine different subfamilies, some such as the True Brush-foots, Satyrs and Fritillaries, having a relatively large number of different species.

• True Brush-foots: Subfamily Nymphalinae
• Admirals and Relatives: Subfamily Limenitidinae
• Leafwings: Subfamily Charaxinae
• Emperors: Subfamily Apaturinae
• Morphos: Subfamily Morphinae
• Satyrs: Subfamily Satyrinae
• Clearwings: Subfamily Ithomiinae
• Monarchs: Subfamily Danainae
• Heliconians and Fritillaries: Subfamily Heliconiinae
• Snouts: Subfamily Libytheinae

Heliconiinae, more commonly known as longwings because of the extended wing length of some species, are a subfamily of butterflies in the brush-footed butterfly family.

Fritillaries, the domonant group within the subfamily, somtimes go by the name silverspots, a term that describes the pattern on the underside of the wing.

Heliconiinae divide into a handful of genera, with the majority of species belonging to either the Speyeria or Boloria genera. The Great Spangled, Hydaspe and Mormon fritillaries listed in the box belong to the Speyeria genus. The Pacific Fritillary belongs to the Boloria genus.

Fritillary species vary in their ease of identification. Between genera differences are often easy to recognize. Within genus differences can cause identification difficulties in instances where common looking species share overlapping territory.

Accurately identifying any fritillary species requires a view of both the top and bottom wing pattern. Because most fritillaries spend time nectaring on flowers, patience around any species is often rewarded with a top and side view picture.

A few Heliconian species, such as the Zebra Longwing and Julia Longwing also belong to the subfamily. Their natural range is limited to the Southern areas of the United States and their long thin wings, covered with distinct colors and patterns, makes them very easy to identify.