Butterflies of North Carolina

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Once on a species account page, clicking on the "View PDF" link will show the flight data for that species, for each of the three regions of the state.
Other information, such as high counts and earliest/latest dates, can also been seen on the PDF page.

Our only member of the Family in NC: RIODINIDAE
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Common Name

Little Metalmark by Roger Rittmaster => Carteret Co.
[View PDF]

Click to enlarge
[Google Images] GBIF [Global Distribution ] BoA [Images ] iNaturalist

Scientific Name

Calephelis virginiensis

Link to BAMONA species account.

Map

Click on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.

Distribution

DISTRIBUTION: Scattered over the southern half of the Coastal Plain, but now apparently restricted to the lower Coastal Plain; formerly occurred in the Sandhills region and in mainland Dare County. Probably absent from the inner Coastal Plain north of Cumberland County, and might now be absent north of Croatan National Forest (Craven County). Accidental in the central Piedmont, where a shocking discovery was made in 2022 in Davidson County; in fact, a few individuals were again seen and photographed at that site in 2024.

Abundance

ABUNDANCE: Uncommon, and restricted in habitat; may be locally common. Very rare to absent over Coastal Plain locales away from Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) habitats. Certainly has declined in the Sandhills, as there are no recent records. Accidental in the Piedmont.

Flight

FLIGHT PERIOD: Seemingly three broods -- mid- or late April to early June, late June to late July, and mid-August to mid-October, rarely into November. The last brood is clearly the most numerous; highest numbers occur in early to mid-September. The second brood in early to mid-summer is quite small, but fresh individuals are seen then, and it does seem to be a small second brood and not a delayed first brood. It is not simply early individuals of the large late summer/fall brood, as observers see a clear emergence of fresh individuals starting in the latter half of August. The Piedmont records are in early July.

Habitat

HABITAT: The species seems to require, or at least be found primarily in, high-quality Longleaf Pine communities. It is most numerous in pine savannas and flatwoods, which have mostly been destroyed by timber plantations, development, etc. It probably occurs (or formerly occurred) in similar habitat in the Sandhills. It likely is rare or absent in the drier pine/scrub oak habitats.

See also Habitat Account for Wet, Sandy, Fire-maintained Herblands

Plants

FOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: The primary foodplant has been reported to be Yellow Thistle (Cirsium horridulum). However, Bo Sullivan (pers. comm.) has found that Vanilla-leaf (Trilisa odoratissima), a tall purple-flowered composite, is a (and probably sole) foodplant in NC. This plant is common in the savannas and flatwoods where I have seen the metalmark, and thus seems to be the correct solution to the mystery (i.e., there seems to be no correlation in NC between the thistle and the butterfly). Whether any species of thistle is a foodplant in NC is open to question. The species nectars on many flowers, but it is often seen resting on leaves and stems.

Comments

COMMENTS: This small and moth-like species can be numerous in a few high-quality flatwoods and savannas, such as Millis Road Savanna and at Holly Shelter Game Land. There is still much to be learned about it in NC. How often does it occur away from flatwoods and savannas? Is it found at all in dry pine/scrub oak habitats, such as those common in the Sandhills? At any rate, it has been found at alarmingly few new sites in the last 20 years.

Completely unexpected was the photographing of several individuals in far inland Davidson County in 2022. An unnamed observer posted photos on iNaturalist, first of an adult in an overgrown field on July 1. On July 3, this person photographed a remarkable four individuals at two sites in this vicinity. Obviously, these several adults eclosed from some foodplant, whatever that might have been, very close to this area, as metalmarks are very poor fliers and have no history of straying in the state.

State Rank

State Status

Global Rank

Federal Status

Synonym

Other Name

Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Little Metalmark
	Photo by: Ed Corey Comment: Sandy Run Savannas State Natural Area, Onslow County; 2007-Apr-24 Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Ted Wilcox Comment: Craven Co., 2007-Aug-26 Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: John Ennis Comment: Holly Shelter Game Land, Pender Co., 2017-Sep-16. Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge	Photo by: John Ennis Comment: Holly Shelter Game Land, Pender Co., 2017-Oct-15 Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Mark Shields Comment: Everett Creek Nature Preserve, Sneads Ferry, Onslow County. 2017-Sep-03 Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Comment: Sep 8, 2014. Holly Shelter Game Lands, Pender Co. Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Rob Van Epps Comment: Sep 8, 2014. Holly Shelter Game Lands, Pender Co. Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Bruce Grimes Comment: ovipositing female on Yellow Thistle, SC Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Bruce Grimes Comment: SC Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Tom Sanders Comment: August 18, 2013 in Croatan National Forest, Carteret County Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Allen Belden Comment: Millis Road Savanna, Carteret Co.; nectaring on Balduina uniflora, 2014-Aug-27 Little Metalmark - Click to enlarge