Multiple-subspecies
Guides
Anthanassa frisia
Cuban Crescent, Cuban Crescentspot, Cuban Checkerspot
A small to medium-sized checkerspot butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, with a complex subspecies structure spanning the Caribbean, southern Florida, and the Neotropics. The nominate subspecies occurs in the West Indies and Florida, while subspecies tulcis (sometimes treated as a separate species) ranges from Argentina to the southwestern United States. Adults fly year-round in tropical regions and have distinct seasonal activity patterns in temperate areas. Larvae feed on specific Acanthaceae host plants.