Polygonia C-album

Polygonia C-album

C-blanca / Polygonia C-album / Gehakkelde aurelia / Comma / C-Falter / Robert leDiable ou Papillon-C ou Gamma.

The species survives the winter in the adult stage, and adults are of two forms. The form that overwinters before reproducing has dark undersides of the wings, whereas the form that develops directly to sexual maturation has lighter colured wing undersides. Both forms can arise from eggs laid by the same female, depending mainly on the photoperiods experienced by the larvae, but also with an influence of host plants, temperature and sex of individuals.

The caterpillars will feed up on hops, and they will also eat stinging nettle or elm or currant leaves, and in other parts of its distribution (e.g. in Sweden) also sallow and birch leaves.

The Comma (Polygonia c-album) is a species of butterfly with a distribution across Europe and temperate Asia to Japan and south to Morocco. Similar species are found in the United States and Canada. It has a white marking on its underwings resembling a comma. The wings have a distinctive ragged edge, apparently a cryptic form as the butterfly resembles a fallen leaf. The caterpillars are also cryptic, resembling a bird dropping.

Harm