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= Saint Francis Satyr Butterfly = The Saint Francis' satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci) is an endangered butterfly found only in North Carolina, USA. First discovered in 1980, it was officially described in 1989 and listed as a federally endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1994. It is a subspecies of N. mitchellii and is restricted to a single metapopulation on Fort Bragg military base in Hoke and Cumberland counties. The other subspecies, Mitchell's satyr (Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii), is also federally endangered.

Physical Characteristics
The St. Francis' satyr is a small butterfly with an average wingspan of 34-44 mm. It is dark brown, with distinguishing eye-spots along the lower surfaces of both upper and lower wings. The eyespots on its wings are primarily dark brown or maroon, rimmed with yellow and with flecks of white that reflect silver in the middle of the eyespot. They are usually round or slightly oval, and found on the forewing and hindwing. There are two bright orange bands running along the lower wing edges, and two darker orange bands across the middle of each wing ( https://www.fws.gov/southeast/wildlife/insects/saint-francis-satyr/ ). Females appear slightly larger and lighter brown than males which is an example of sexual dimorphism.

Life History and Reproduction
Adults live an average of three to four days. The subspecies is bivoltine, having 2 mating events per year. The first flight period occurs from late May to early June, and the second from late July to mid-August. Females deposit eggs individually or in small clusters that emerge as larvae in seven to ten days ( https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-01-26/pdf/95-1982.pdf#page=1 ). Caterpillars that emerge in early summer period form a chrysalis after two months, while those that emerge in late summer period hibernate over winter and pupate the following spring. Pupation may take up to two weeks. Each subspecies of this butterfly relies on a specific larval host plant. One known larval host plant is Mitchel’s sedge (Carex mitchelliana), although it is likely that other sedges in the genus Carex may also act as host plants ( https://threeriverslandtrust.org/2016/the-saint-francis-satyr-the-rarest-butterfly-in-north-carolina/ ). There is little historical information on the life history of the butterfly. Because of this, current research is being done at Michigan State University and NC State University to better understand the butterfly’s place in its ecosystem.