Carolina Satyr

S1/S3

Carolina Satyr

Scientific Name

Hermeuptychia sosybius

The Carolina Satyr is a medium-sized butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. This species ranges from southern New Jersey to Florida and west to Texas (1). The Carolina Satyr can be found in damp open woods and glades, feeding on rotting fruit and tree sap (2). In Maryland, this species is considered rare and mainly reported in southern regions, though new populations are being reported from western Maryland. These butterflies are thought to be an expansion of the Appalachian populations (3).

Photo by Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States. Modified by Dana Price. / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Photo by Judy Gallagher / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Identification

The Carolina satyr has a wingspan of 1.25 – 1.5 inches. The upperside is brown with no markings. This species can be identified by the two prominent hindwing eyespots (black-centered ocelli pupiled with pale-blue scales) found on the underside. Further characteristics to help separate it from the southern H. intricata (not found in Maryland) include the bulging postmedian line (1, 4). Additional pictures of the male and female can be viewed here (Butterflies of America).

Carolina satyr

Photo by Judy Gallagher. Modified by Dana Price. CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Life Cycle

The Carolina Satyr has three broods with flight periods during early June, early August, and mid September (2). Caterpillars go through 4 instars (molts) before pupation. A series of photographs documenting the life history stages of this species can be viewed here (5).

Habitat

The Carolina Satyr prefers damp woods or shaded environments in upland and wetland ecosystems. They have been recorded in a variety of habitats, including margins of forests and swampy areas, grassy openings or shaded lawns.

Adults feed on tree sap and rotting fruit, while the larvae feed on a variety of grasses, especially those in the Poaceae family.

Distribution in Maryland

Data from Maryland Biodiversity Project (2). Includes historical records and may overrepresent the current range of the species.

Distribution in US

Data from University of Florida (1)

References

University of Florida. 2020. Department of Entomology, Featured creatures, Carolina satyr. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/BFLY/Carolina_satyr.htm Last accessed 11 June 2020.
Davis, L. and R. Smith. 2014. Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Checklist. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Division. https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/butterfliesofmaryland_biological-summary_checklist.pdf
Maryland Biodiversity Project. 2020. Carolina Satyr, Hermeuptychia sosybius (Fabricius, 1793). https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/575 Last accessed 11 June 2020.
Butterflies and Moths of North America. 2020. Carolina Satyr Hermeuptychia sosybius (Fabricius, 1793). https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Hermeuptychia-sosybius Last accessed 11 June 2020.
Cong Q, Grishin NV. 2014. A new Hermeuptychia (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae) is sympatric and synchronic with H. sosybius in southeast US coastal plains, while another new Hermeuptychia species–not hermes–inhabits south Texas and northeast Mexico. ZooKeys 379: 43-91.

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