Moth Photographers Group – Vanessa cardui

Digital Guide to Moth Identification

Nymphalidae

77a0824 – 4435 Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758)

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Larva and Host Plants:	Host familiy: Amaranthaceae[Chenopodiaceae] Apiaceae Asteraceae Boraginaceae Convolvulaceae Cucurbitaceae Fabaceae Hydrophyllaceae Lamiaceae Malvaceae Plantaginaceae Poaceae Rosaceae Rutaceae Solanaceae Ulmaceae Ur.. Host genera: Achillea Alcea Althaea Amsinckia Anaphalis Anchusa Astragalus Arctotis Arctium Artemisia Berkheya Blumea Boehmeria Bombycilaena Borago Calendula Carduus Centaurea Chenopodium Chrysanthemum Cirsium Cit... Notes: other composites & mallows (Pyle 1981); larvae eat leaves (Scott 2020); Mentha"?" [captive reared] (Robinson et al 2002). (Shropshire & Douglas 2025)
Similar Species:	Pinned specimens of related species. (Hint: select View by Region on the related species page.)
Synonymy:	cardui (Linnaeus, 1758) (Papilio) - MONA 1983: 4435 ate (Strecker, 1878) (Pyrameis) belladonna (Godart, [1821]) (Papilio) carduelis (Cramer, [1775]) (Papilio) elymi Rambur, 1829 (Vanessa) inops (Verity & Querci, 1924) (Pyrameis) jacksoni (Clark, 1932) (Pyrameis) japonica (Stichel, 1908) (Pyrameis) leachiana (Doubleday, 1841) (Pyrameis) littoralis (Sousa, 1926) (Pyrameis) minor (Cockerell, 1890) (Pyrameis) pulchra Chou, Yuan, Yin, Zhan & Chen, 2002 (Vanessa) rogeri (Gaede, 1931) (Pyrameis) semisuffusa Cockerell, 1889 (Vanessa) uniersa (Verity, 1919) (Pyrameis) ushuwaia Bryk, 1944 (Vanessa)

References (Caution: DNA barcoding at BOLD provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; some BOLD specimens shown may not be sequenced.)

Barcode of Life (BOLD) - Caution: Identifications often erroneous; DNA barcode provides evidence of relatedness, not proof of identification; many specimens not sequenced.
Shropshire, K.J. & D.W. Tallamy, 2025. Lepidoptera of North America, north of Mexico: an annotated list containing geographic ranges and host-plant records. ZooKeys, 1261: 101-113; Suppl. 1. (PDF or read online)
Species Page at BugGuide.Net
Species Page at E. H. Strickland Museum
Species Page at iNaturalist
Species Page at the Butterflies of America

Moth Photographers Group at the Mississippi Entomological Museum at the Mississippi State University

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