Polygonia c-album

Polygonia c-album
Dorsal view
Ventral view of the hutchinsoni form showing light-coloured wing undersides
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Polygonia
Species:
P. c-album
Binomial name
Polygonia c-album
Subspecies

Eight, see text

Synonyms[1]
List
    • Grapta agnicula Moore, 1872
    • Nymphalis c-album (Linnaeus, 1758)
    • Papilio c-album Linnaeus, 1758
    • Polygonia castanea Verity, 1950
    • Polygonia delta-album Joseph, 1919
    • Polygonia elongana Cabeau, 1926
    • Polygonia extincta Rebel, 1923
    • Polygonia i-album Maslowscy, 1923
    • Polygonia immaculata Dioszeghy, 1935
    • Polygonia imperfecta Blachier, 1908
    • Polygonia manchurica Matsumura, 1939
    • Polygonia nigracastanea Verity, 1950
    • Polygonia nigrolunaria Nitsche, 1912
    • Polygonia nubilata Lempke, 1956
    • Polygonia o-album Newnham, 1917
    • Polygonia obscura Hannemann, 1915
    • Polygonia p-album Bezsilla, 1943
    • Polygonia pallida Tutt, 1896
    • Polygonia pusilla Stichel, 1908
    • Polygonia uncipuncta Joseph, 1919
    • Polygonia variegata Tutt, 1896
    • Polygonia vilarrubiai Perez de-Gregorie & Masó Planas, 1976
    • Vanena hutchinsoni Robson, 1880
    • Vanessa c-album (Linnaeus, 1758)
    • Vanessa cloqueti Clement, 1917
    • Vanessa comma-alba Miller, 1821
    • Vanessa f-album Esper, 1783
    • Vanessa g-album Fourcroy, 1785
    • Vanessa lutescens Harcourt-Bath, 1896
    • Vanessa melanosticta Stephens, 1856

Polygonia c-album, the comma, is a food generalist (polyphagous) butterfly species belonging to the family Nymphalidae. The angular notches on the edges of the forewings are characteristic of the genus Polygonia, which is why species in the genus are commonly referred to as anglewing butterflies. Comma butterflies can be identified by their prominent orange and dark brown/black dorsal wings.

Both the larval and adult stages exhibit protective camouflage, mimicking bird droppings and fallen leaves respectively, which reduces predation. The pupae are also cryptic, resembling shriveled leaves. During the later stage of development, the larvae also develop strong spines along their backs. The species is commonly found in Europe, North Africa, and Asia, and contains several subspecies. Although the species is not migratory, the butterflies are strong fliers, resulting in an open population structure with high gene flow and increased genetic variation.

  1. ^ "Polygonia c-album". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 18 January 2022.