---
title: "California Tortoiseshell"
description: "Nymphalis californica — Insects & spiders. The California tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/california-tortoiseshell
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# California Tortoiseshell

> Nymphalis californica — Insects & spiders. The California tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

- Scientific name: *Nymphalis californica*
- Category: `insects` (Insects & spiders)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 24195
- Wikidata: [Q2285307](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2285307)
- iNaturalist taxon: [49920](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49920)

## Names

- en: California Tortoiseshell
- es: Mariposa carey californiana
- fr: Vanesse du céanothe

## Countries with the most observations

US (21113), CA (2662), MX (4)

## Summary

The California tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_tortoiseshell

## Photo

![California Tortoiseshell](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/california-tortoiseshell/medium.jpg)

Photo: Dorothy Johnson · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98059992

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/california-tortoiseshell?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).