# Comma (*Polygonia c-album*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/comma  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The comma (Polygonia c-album) is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup, belonging to the family Nymphalidae in the order Lepidoptera. It is placed in the subfamily Nymphalinae, tribe Nymphalini and genus Polygonia, within the superfamily Papilionoidea and the class Insecta. Other English names for it are Anglewing, European comma and Comma butterfly. Its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 4 cm – 5.2 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Scavenger |
| Main food | flowers |
| Habitat | forest, grassland, human_modified, shrubland |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| On the wing | All year |
| Generations a year | Several |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Arthropoda
- class: Insecta
- order: Lepidoptera
- family: Nymphalidae
- genus: Polygonia
- species: *Polygonia c-album* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Grapta agnicula*, *Grapta c-album*, *Grapta marsyas*, *Nymphalis c-album*, *Papilio c-album*, *Polygonia album*, *Polygonia castanea*, *Polygonia delta-album*, *Polygonia elongana*, *Polygonia extincta*, *Polygonia i-album*, *Polygonia i-album*, *Polygonia immaculata*, *Polygonia imperfecta*, *Polygonia manchurica*, *Polygonia marsyas*, *Polygonia nigracastanea*, *Polygonia nigrolunaria*, *Polygonia nubilata*, *Polygonia o-album*, *Polygonia obscura*, *Polygonia p-album*, *Polygonia pallida*, *Polygonia pallidior*, *Polygonia pusilla*, *Polygonia reichenstettensis*, *Polygonia uncipuncta*, *Polygonia variegata*, *Polygonia vilarrubiai*, *Vanena hutchinsoni*, *Vanessa c-album*, *Vanessa cloqueti*, *Vanessa comma-alba*, *Vanessa f-album*, *Vanessa g-album*, *Vanessa lutescens*, *Vanessa melanosticta*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the comma?

The comma is an insect in the butterflies and moths subgroup. It belongs to the order Lepidoptera and the family Nymphalidae.

### What is the scientific name of the comma?

The scientific name of the comma is Polygonia c-album, placing it in the genus Polygonia.

### What other names does the comma have?

The comma is also called Anglewing, European comma and Comma butterfly.

### What family does the comma belong to?

The comma belongs to the family Nymphalidae, in the subfamily Nymphalinae and tribe Nymphalini.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Shirey, V., Larsen, E., Doherty, A. et al. (2022) LepTraits 1.0: a globally comprehensive dataset of butterfly traits. Scientific Data 9: 382. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01473-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19874602.v1
- [TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844), CC BY 4.0, 2.0. Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Comma (Polygonia c-album). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/comma