Chlosyne theona

(Ménétriés, 1855)

Theona Checkerspot

Species Guides

Chlosyne theona chinatiensis

Chlosyne theona, commonly known as the Theona Checkerspot, is a of in the Nymphalidae. It is native to North America and has been recorded in Hawaii. The species is part of the checkerspot group within the Chlosyne, which includes several similar-looking species with patterned orange and black wing markings. The MONA or Hodges number for this species is 4508.

Seitz by wikipedia. Used under a Public domain license.

Chlosyne theona mullinsi by Kristof Zyskowski & Yulia Bereshpolova. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Theona checkerspot (Chlosyne theona) dorsal by Anne Toal from US. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Chlosyne theona: /kloʊˈsaɪni ˈθiːənə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Distribution

North America; Hawaii (introduced). Distribution records indicate presence in the United States, specifically Hawaii.

Similar Taxa

Chlosyne laciniaBoth are checkerspot butterflies in the same with similar orange and black wing patterns, found in overlapping ranges in the southwestern United States and Mexico. C. lacinia (Bordered Patch) tends to have more variable wing patterns with broader dark borders.

More Details

Taxonomic Note

GBIF lists Chlosyne theona as a synonym of Thessalia theona, while NCBI and iNaturalist maintain it under Chlosyne. The basionym is Melitaea theona Ménétriés, 1855.

Subspecies

Three have been described: C. t. bolli (W. H. Edwards, 1877), C. t. chinatiensis (Tinkham, 1944) [Chinati Checkerspot], and C. t. thekla (W. H. Edwards, 1870).