Feniseca

Feniseca tarquinius, the harvester, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae, and the only member of the monotypic genus Feniseca. It is found in eastern North America.

Harvester
Underside

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Miletinae
Tribe: Spalgini
Genus: Feniseca
Grote, 1869
Species:
F. tarquinius
Binomial name
Feniseca tarquinius
(Fabricius, 1793)
Subspecies
  • F. t. tarquinius
  • F. t. novascotiae McDunnough, 1935
Synonyms

Hesperia tarquinius Fabricius, 1793

This butterfly is the only carnivorous (i.e., insectivorous) butterfly in North America (there are a handful of carnivorous moths, for example Fulgoraecia exigua).[2] The larvae feed on various aphids, such as Neoprociphilus, Pemphigus, Prociphilus, and Schizoneura.

It is found in early spring until fall and is generally scarce. It lives in wooded areas near streams close to alders.[3]

The wingspan is 23–32 mm.[4]

Another butterfly which is possibly carnivorous is Celastrina serotina. It feeds on galls on black cherry and possibly also on the eriophid mites that make the galls.[5]

References
  1. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 Feniseca tarquinius Harvester". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  2. Bugguide.net. Carnivorous Lepidoptera
  3. Kaufman, Kenn; Brock, Jim P. (2003). "Coppers and Harvester". Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin Books. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-0-618-76826-4.
  4. Harvester, Butterflies of Canada
  5. Pavulaan, H. Celastrina serotina (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae): a New Butterfly Species from the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada.


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