Confused Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis)

Uncommon to rare and local but seemingly widespread in NC, much is still to be learned about the distribution of this species. There are two broods, one in Spring and one in mid-late summer. Note that Confused Cloudywings show a pale (not dark as in Northerns) face and the lowermost spot in the subapical spotband is offset toward the wingtip (like a Northern, but unlike a Southern).


Note the bottom spot of the apical line is disjunct toward the apex. Brunswick Co., NC 15 May 2004	Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, Taylor Piephoff, Rob Van Epps, and I observed the individual on the left oviposit this egg on the legume, Tephrosia florida in the Green Swamp in NC.


Probably a Confused Cloudywing from Duke Forest for the same reasons listed with the individual below... Orange Co., NC 16 May 2006

	This is likely a Confused, based on the pale fringes, head paler than body and with white around the eyes, and shape of the spot in forewing cell CuA1 (points toward the median spots, not away from them). Compare with Northern Cloudywing. Orange Co., NC 20 Apr 2006


Summer brood; very worn individual Brunswick Co., NC 25 Aug 2007	Summer brood; same individual Brunswick Co., NC 25 Aug 2007

Confused Cloudywing (Thorybes confusis)
Female, summer brood

Confused Cloudywings always show the lowest spot of the subapical spot line disjunct toward the apex. (Southern Cloudywing always has this spot in line with the spots above it.) Note also that while the other spots are fairly wide, they are even wider in summer brood Southerns. (See Gatrelle September 2001 TILS Newsletter for more details.)

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, FL
12 Aug 2003

North Carolina Butterflies | North American Butterflies | Jeff's Nature Page

Created on ... May 15, 2004 | Updated ... Aug 28, 2007 | jspippen@duke.edu