Southern Comma

Polygonia egea (Cramer, 1775)

Status

Description

A golden-brown butterfly with a very distractive crinkly edge to the edge of the wing. The only butterfly which it can be confused with is P. c-album which is very similar. The main distinguishing features on the upperside are that the black markings are smaller, and on the underside the silvery mark on the middle of the hindwing is L-shaped rather than C-shaped.

Habitat Requirements

Given that one of the host plants, Eastern Pellitory of the Wall, grows on walls and that this species is so commonly seen basking on walls, it could be argued that human habitation and rocky areas are the major habitat for this butterfly. 

Larval Foodplants

Nettles Urtica dioica, Eastern Pellitory-of-the-wall Parietaria officinalis.

Observations

Widely distributed but not overly abundant. Commonly observed resting on rock faces or walls where it basks in bright sunshine.

*The information provided in the tables below is based on verified sightings of the Southern Comma submitted via this website since 1st January 2021.

First and Last Sightings

Year First Last/latest # Days
2023 20/02/2023 12/10/2023 234 days
2022 05/05/2022 20/09/2022 138 days
2021 20/02/2021 21/10/2021 243 days

Number of Observations

Year Number of observations
2023 53
2022 35
2021 16
Grand Total 104

Distribution Map

Distribution maps for this species are currently unavailable.

Flight Times for the Southern Comma (2023)

The chart below shows flight data by month for 2023

Flight Times for the Southern Comma (All Data)

The chart below shows flight data by month since 1st January 2021

Taxonomy

  • Vernacular/Common Name: Southern Comma
  • Family: Nymphalidae (Rafinesque, 1815)
  • Sub-family: Nymphalinae (Rafinesque, 1815)
  • Tribe: Nymphalini (Rafinesque, 1815)
  • Genus: Polygonia (Hübner, 1819)
  • Species: egea (Cramer, 1775)

References

For a list of references, please see our bibliography page.