BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Coenonympha california benjamini
Common Ringlet, benjamini subspecies
| Scientific Name: | Coenonympha california benjamini McDunnough, 1928 | ||||||||||
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| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Coenonympha california benjamini
Coenonympha tullia benjamini |
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| English Name: | Common Ringlet, benjamini subspecies | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Pelham, J. P. 2008. A catalogue of the butterflies of the United States and Canada with a complete bibliography of the descriptive and systematic literature. The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. Volume 40. 658 pp. Revised 14 February, 2012. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Subspecies | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Invertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | LE-COECAL-BE | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5T5 (Feb 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S3 (Mar 2021) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Blue | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | |||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | There are four subspecies of Coenonympha tullia recognized in British Columbia: ssp. insulana (Vancouver Island), ssp. columbiana (southern interior); ssp. ampelos (extreme southern interior at the US border); ssp. benjamini (Peace River/Ft. St. John area) (Guppy and Shepard 2001; Opler and Warren 2002). C.t. benjamini is known from the Peace Region around the Ft. St. John /Clayhurst/Dawson Creek region. The subspecies has numerous records from the foothills of Alberta east of the Rocky Mountains and only briefly ranges into BC in the southeastern corner of British Columbia. | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | C.t. benjamini wings are overall white/orangish tan to brown colouration. There is a white patch on the ventral forewing. The wingspan is from 27 - 39 mm. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Much of the subspecies ecology is unknown. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / Y N / N N / N na / N |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Agriculture / Cultivated Field / Facultative - occasional use
Agriculture / Pasture/Old Field / Facultative - frequent use Alpine/Tundra / Alpine Grassland / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Alpine/Subalpine Meadow / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Fellfield / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Glacier/Icefield / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Heath / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Krummholtz / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Nivation / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Tundra / Unknown Alpine/Tundra / Zoogenic / Unknown Anthropogenic / Industrial / Facultative - occasional use Anthropogenic / Urban/Suburban / Facultative - occasional use Forest / Deciduous/Broadleaf Forest / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Grassland / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Shrub - Natural / Facultative - occasional use Riparian / Gravel Bar / Facultative - occasional use Riparian / Riparian Forest / Facultative - occasional use Riparian / Riparian Herbaceous / Facultative - occasional use Riparian / Riparian Shrub / Facultative - occasional use |
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| Provincial Habitat Comments: | C.t. benjamini has been found at low elevations in the Peace area (Guppy and Shepard 2001; Guppy et al. 2003). Habitat includes grassy meadows and openings, roadsides and the edges of transportation corridors, prairies, bogs, woodland edges and the alpine (Layberry et al. 1998). Guppy et al. (2003) reported the species on grass/shrub slopes, powerline and oil pipeline right of ways, old roads through young sapling aspen forest, within black spruce and pine mixed forest on drier sites, on a vegetated clearing, gravel pit, landing; meadow with dandelion and pea grasses; natural grassland containing three flowered aven, crocus, grasses, some weeds, roses, and willows; riparian and old farm land and adjacent to a willow, balsam, poplar forest with spruce shrubs. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: | |||||||||||
| Global Food Habits Comments: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Food Habits Comments: | C.t. benjamini has been documented to feed upon various grasses including needlegrass (Stipa spp.) and blue grass (Poa pratensis) (Layberry et al. 1998; Guppy and Shepard 2001). Specific food requirements are unclear. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
Mar: Larvae present and active /
Apr: Present / May: / Active June: / Active July: / Active Aug: / Larvae present and active Sept: / Larvae present and active Oct: / Larvae present and active Nov: / Larvae present and active Dec: / Larvae present and active |
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| Provincial Phenology Comments: | C.t. benjamini is documented to have one brood each year, from late May to mid July. Records for this species are from May 26 - July 17 (Guppy et al. 2003). The third or fourth instar larvae are thought to overwinter within "thick mats of dead grass" (Layberry et al. 1998). | ||||||||||
| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | / / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | Heron, Jennifer | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Oct 13, 2005 | ||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Guppy, C.S., and J.H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia. UBC Press in collaboration with Royal B.C. Mus. 414pp. |
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Guppy, C.S., S.J. Kinsey, and L.L. Law. 2003. Reconnaissance inventory of the butterflies of the South Peace. Submitted to Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd., Dawson Creek, BC. 104pp. |
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Keystone Wildlife Research Ltd. 2012. Electronic database containing baseline inventory data for flora and fauna within the Site C dam footprint. Data collected and prepared for B.C. Hydro. |
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Layberry, R. A., P. W. Hall, and J. D. LaFontaine. 1998. The butterflies of Canada. University of Toronto Press. 280pp. + color plates. |
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Opler, P. A., and A. D. Warren. 2002. Butterflies of North America. 2. Scientific Names List for Butterfly Species of North America, north of Mexico. C.P Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado. 79 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. Species Summary: Coenonympha california benjamini. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 7, 2026).