# Behr's Metalmark

*Apodemia virgulti*

They get their 'metalmark' name from the bright, metallic silver markings on the undersides of their wings that glint in the sunlight.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Riodinidae › Apodemia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and dry rocky hillsides
- **Diet:** Adults feed on flower nectar (primarily California buckwheat); caterpillars feed on the leaves of California buckwheat.
- **Range:** Southern California, Baja California
- **Size:** Wingspan of 20 to 25 mm (0.8 to 1.0 inches).
- **Lifespan:** 10 to 14 days as an adult; up to 1 year for a full lifecycle.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss from urban development, invasive plant species, and increased wildfire frequency.
- **Safe to approach?:** This species is completely harmless. You can safely observe them from a close distance as they nectar on flowers. Avoid touching their delicate wings, and do not disturb their host plants.

## About

Apodemia virgulti , or Behr's metalmark , is a species of metalmark in the family of butterflies known as Riodinidae. It is found in North America.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/c19ca9f6-55af-46fc-b31e-ce1d2af6f3ec
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/119068
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apodemia virgulti
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/90583/medium.jpg (Bill Bouton, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.