Funereal Duskywing
Erynnis funeralis (Scudder & Burgess, 1870)

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Diagnosis: Very similar to the Zarucco Duskywing (E. zarucco), the Funereal Duskywing differs by having bright white fringes on the hindwing. Wingspan: 33 to 45 mm.

Range: Erynnis funeralis occurs from South America to the southern and southwestern U.S., migrating north each year to the central U.S. and, rarely, to Point Pelee, Ontario.

Similar Species: E. zarucco has brown fringed hindwings. [compare images]

Early Stages: The larva is light green with a dark dorsal stripe and yellow lateral lines; the head is black. In the U.S. the foodplants are various Fabaceae (Opler and Malikul, 1992).

Abundance: This distinctive duskywing is common in the extreme south of the U.S., less common farther north; an extremely rare visitor in Canada.

Flight Season: It flies from March to October in the south; in Canada it is recorded only in the fall.

Habits: In the U.S., this is usually a species of roadsides and woods edges.

Remarks: The Funereal Duskywing has been recorded in Canada only twice, at Point Pelee, Ontario: 6 October 1990 (Wormington, 1991, 1992b) and 23 September 1992.

© 2002. This material is reproduced with permission from The Butterflies of Canada by Ross A. Layberry, Peter W. Hall, and J. Donald Lafontaine. University of Toronto Press; 1998. Specimen photos courtesy of John T. Fowler.

The Toronto Entomologists' Association thanks Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for providing the content and computer code for this web page.