Underside of hindwing is cream to yellowish; spring and fall butterflies (form marcia) have a gray hindwing. Adult phaon crescent, Phyciodes phaon (Edwards). Pearl Crescent is abundant in N.C. and often overlooked because it's so common and often dull. Its coloring was similar to a lot of the butterflies on your site, but it … The phaon crescent, Phyciodes phaon (Edwards), is a common southern crescent that frequents moist open areas. It is also one of the hardest butterflies to identify with certainty, because of two very similar butterflies, the Northern and Tawny Crescents. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Males patrol open areas near host plants for females. Phaon Crescent, Mat Plant Crescent, Phyciodes phaon (Edwards) (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) 2 Life Cycle There are several flights (early spring to late fall) in the northern part of the range and nearly year round in peninsular Florida. Identification: Forewing is dark orange and black with a pale cream median band. I think this is a pearl crescent, but I’m not sure. Edwards, 1864) Family: Nymphalidae. It resembles the pearl crescent that is found in the same areas, but differs by the more checkered fringe on the wings. Pearl crescent? Subfamily: Nymphalinae. Similar species to look out for include the Silvery Checkerspot (mountains and piedmont), the recently described Mimic Crescent (mountains), which is sometimes considered to be a race of Northern Crescent, and Phaon Crescent (only along the immediate coast). Phyciodes picta (W. H. Edwards, 1865) – painted crescent Phyciodes phaon (W. H. Edwards, 1864) – Phaon crescent Phyciodes pulchella ( Boisduval , 1852) – field crescent Figure 1. Location: Northern Maryland August 13, 2010 8:37 pm Dear bugman, I caught this butterfly on a patch of black-eyed susans at our local zoo. Phyciodes phaon, the Phaon crescent or mat plant crescent, is a species of butterfly found in Florida, neighboring states, west to New Mexico and south to Cuba (since the 1930s) and the Cayman Islands where it is known as the crescent spot. The Phaon crescent closely resembles a cousin called the pearl crescent butterly, Phyciodes tharos, which is also fairly common throughout Florida. Pearls are highly variable. Mating occurs primarily during mid-day. FAMILY NYMPHALIDAE The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. The Pearl Crescent is one of the most common and widespread butterflies in the eastern United States. Phaon Crescent Phyciodes phaon (W.H. Pearl Crescent Phyciodes tharos. One difference is in the size — the Phaon is a bit smaller, with a wingspan between 1 and 1.5 inches. Mating behavior. Photograph by Robert Lord Zimlich.