Metalmark
Guides
Apodemia ares
Ares Metalmark
Apodemia ares, the Ares Metalmark, is a species of butterfly in the family Riodinidae. It is found in North America. The species was first described by William Henry Edwards in 1882. Like other metalmarks, it belongs to a distinctive group of butterflies characterized by their small size and often metallic wing markings.
Apodemia duryi
Organ Mountain metalmark, Mexican metalmark, Dury's Metalmark
Apodemia duryi is a species of metalmark butterfly in the family Riodinidae, native to the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico. The species is named after its collector, W. Dury, and is primarily associated with dry, rocky habitats in mountain ranges. Adults are active during the warmer months and are known to visit flowers for nectar.
Apodemia hepburni
Hepburn's Metalmark
Apodemia hepburni, known as Hepburn's Metalmark, is a butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. It is found in North America. The species has been assigned the MONA/Hodges number 4404. Beyond basic taxonomic placement and geographic distribution, detailed natural history information for this species remains limited.
Apodemia mejicanus pueblo
A subspecies of metalmark butterfly in the family Riodinidae, described by Scott in 1998. The subspecies epithet 'pueblo' suggests an association with the Pueblo, Colorado region or nearby areas. As a member of the genus Apodemia, it belongs to a group of small to medium-sized butterflies commonly known as metalmarks for their characteristic metallic spotting patterns.
Apodemia nais
Nais Metalmark
Apodemia nais, commonly known as the Nais Metalmark, is a butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. It occurs in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species was first described by Edwards in 1871.
Apodemia palmerii
Palmer's Metalmark, Gray Metalmark
Apodemia palmerii, commonly known as Palmer's Metalmark or Gray Metalmark, is a species of butterfly in the family Riodinidae. It occurs in arid and semi-arid regions of the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species is associated with desert and scrubland habitats where its host plants grow. Adults are active during warmer months and visit flowers for nectar.
Apodemia virgulti
Behr's Metalmark
Apodemia virgulti, commonly known as Behr's metalmark, is a butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. The species was first described by Behr in 1865 under the basionym Nemeobius virgulti. It is native to North America and has been documented in at least 7,200 observations on iNaturalist. Eight subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies A. v. virgulti and seven others described by Emmel and colleagues in 1998.
Apodemia walkeri
Walker's Metalmark
Apodemia walkeri, commonly known as Walker's metalmark, is a butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. It was first described by Frederick DuCane Godman and Osbert Salvin in 1886. The species occurs from north-western Costa Rica northward through Mexico, with occasional vagrancy to the lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas.
Apodemia zela
zela metalmark, Mexican Zela Metalmark
Apodemia zela is a species of metalmark butterfly in the family Riodinidae, first described by Butler in 1870 under the basionym Emesis zela. The species occurs in North America and is recognized by two subspecies: A. z. zela and A. z. cleis. Metalmarks in this genus are typically small to medium-sized butterflies with distinctive wing patterns.
Calephelis arizonensis
Arizona Metalmark
Calephelis arizonensis, the Arizona Metalmark, is a butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. It was described by McAlpine in 1971 and is found in North America. The species is assigned Hodges number 4394. Like other metalmarks, it belongs to a group of small, often brightly patterned butterflies that are primarily distributed in the Americas.
Calephelis muticum
Swamp Metalmark
Calephelis muticum, known as the swamp metalmark, is a small riodinid butterfly with a restricted distribution across wetlands of the upper Midwest, Ohio Valley, Ozark Mountains, and parts of Arizona. The species is globally vulnerable (G3) and endangered in Illinois, with small, isolated colonies scattered across ten states. It is distinguished from the northern metalmark (Calephelis borealis) by habitat preference, wing morphology, and host plant associations. Conservation concerns center on habitat loss from wetland conversion, invasive species, pesticides, and fire suppression.
Calephelis nemesis
Fatal Metalmark, Dusky Metalmark
Calephelis nemesis, commonly known as the fatal metalmark or dusky metalmark, is a small butterfly in the family Riodinidae. It is distinguished by its modest wingspan of 20–25 mm and its association with arid environments in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species has been documented at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and is one of several Calephelis species with evocative names referencing loss or fate.
Calephelis perditalis
Rounded Metalmark, Lost Metalmark
Calephelis perditalis is a small metalmark butterfly in the family Riodinidae, described by Barnes and McDunnough in 1918. The species occurs from Texas and Mexico southward through Central America to Venezuela. Its common names, "rounded metalmark" and "lost metalmark," reference the rounded wing margins and the species epithet perditalis (Latin for "lost"). The species has two recognized subspecies: the nominate form and C. p. donahuei described in 1971.
Calephelis rawsoni
Rawson's metalmark
Calephelis rawsoni, commonly known as Rawson's metalmark, is a small riodinid butterfly described by Wilbur S. McAlpine in 1939. It inhabits moist, shaded environments in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The species is notable for its restricted association with specific larval host plants in the genus Eupatorium.
Calephelis virginiensis
little metalmark
Calephelis virginiensis, the little metalmark, is a small metalmark butterfly in the family Riodinidae. It is found in North America. The species was originally described as Erycina virginiensis by Guérin-Méneville in 1831. Like other members of the genus Calephelis, it belongs to a group of butterflies commonly known as metalmarks for the metallic spots often present on their wings.
Calephelis wrighti
Wright's Metalmark
Wright's Metalmark is a species of butterfly in the family Riodinidae, commonly known as the metalmarks. It is found in North America. The species was described by Holland in 1930 and is assigned the MONA/Hodges number 4390. Like other members of the genus Calephelis, it is a small butterfly with distinctive metallic markings. Specific details about its biology and ecology remain limited in available sources.
Caria ino
Red-bordered Metalmark
Caria ino, commonly known as the red-bordered metalmark, is a butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. It occurs in North America and has been documented in at least 2,113 iNaturalist observations. Two subspecies are recognized: Caria ino ino and Caria ino melicerta. The species was first described by Godman and Salvin in 1886.
Curvie emesia
Curve-winged Metalmark
Curvie emesia, commonly known as the curve-winged metalmark, is a species of butterfly in the family Riodinidae. It was originally described as Emesis emesia by Hewitson in 1867 and later transferred to the genus Curvie. The species occurs in North America and includes two recognized subspecies.
Diaethria clymena
Cramer's eighty-eight, Widespread Eighty-eight
Diaethria clymena, commonly known as Cramer's eighty-eight or Widespread Eighty-eight, is a small butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Pieter Cramer in 1775 and occurs across a broad Neotropical range from Mexico through Central America to South America. The species is recognized by distinctive wing patterns and has been documented in at least 13 subspecies. Its larvae feed on specific host plants in the genera Trema and Theobroma.
Lasaia sula
blue metalmark, Blue Lasaia
Lasaia sula, commonly known as the blue metalmark or Blue Lasaia, is a small butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. It is native to North America and Central America, with a range extending from southern Texas to Honduras. The species is notable for its metallic blue dorsal wing surfaces and inhabits subtropical forest environments as well as disturbed habitats.
Lasaia sula peninsularis
Lasaia sula peninsularis is a subspecies of metalmark butterfly in the family Riodinidae. The species Lasaia sula is distributed across parts of Central America and the Caribbean, with the subspecies peninsularis occurring in specific peninsular regions. Members of the genus Lasaia are small butterflies often noted for their dark coloration with metallic blue or green markings.
Melanis
Melanis is a genus of butterflies in the family Riodinidae, restricted to the Neotropical realm. The genus was established by Hübner in 1819 and contains approximately 30 described species distributed across Central and South America, with highest diversity in Brazil. Species within this genus exhibit variation in wing patterns and are typically found in tropical and subtropical forest habitats.
Melanis pixe
Red-bordered Pixie
Melanis pixe, commonly known as the red-bordered pixie, is a metalmark butterfly in the family Riodinidae. The species was described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1836. It is recognized for its distinctive aposematic coloration featuring black wings with red and yellow-orange markings. The species serves as a Müllerian mimicry model for other toxic insects in its range, including the White-tipped Black Moth (Melanchroia chephise).
Plesioarida
Plesioarida is a subgenus of metalmark butterflies within the genus Apodemia (family Riodinidae). Species in this group are small to medium-sized butterflies characterized by reduced wing patterns and subtle metallic markings compared to other Apodemia subgenera. The subgenus is primarily associated with arid and semi-arid regions of western North America.
Riodinini
metalmark butterflies
Riodinini is a large tribe of metalmark butterflies within the family Riodinidae. The tribe encompasses numerous genera, though many Riodinidae genera remain unassigned to tribes, making the current genus composition preliminary. Members of this tribe are characterized by their small to medium size and often metallic wing markings that give the family its common name. The tribe has substantial observational data with over 69,000 records on iNaturalist, indicating widespread distribution and ecological presence.