Hodges#4561

Asterocampa leilia

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Apaturinae
Tribe: Apaturini
Genus: Asterocampa
Species: leilia

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Asterocampa leilia: /ˌæstɛroʊˈkæmpə ˈlaɪliə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Asterocampa leilia by pondhawk. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Empress Leilia (26832783229) by Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

EMPRESS LEILIA (Asterocampa leilia) (7-9-12) patagonia lake, scc, az -01 (7538117870) by ALAN SCHMIERER. Used under a CC0 license.

EMPRESS LEILIA (Asterocampa leilia) (9-21-10) west end, pat lake state park, scc, az -01 (5012561817) by ALAN SCHMIERER. Used under a CC0 license.

NW27-12 Asterocampa leilia (3429894884) by NSG group from Lund, Sweden. Used under a CC0 license.

EMPRESS LEILIA (Asterocampa leilia) (4-3-2015) patagonia lake, santa cruz co, az -02 (17026105235) by ALAN SCHMIERER. Used under a CC0 license.

Summary

Asterocampa leilia, also known as the Empress Leilia or desert hackberry butterfly, is a butterfly species in the Nymphalidae family.

Physical Characteristics

Adults are brownish orange, with white and black spots on the bottom of the wings. Wing length ranges from 1.5 to 2 inches (38 to 51 mm).

Identification Tips

Distinguished from Hackberry Emperor by the presence of two solid cell bars and two submarginal eyespots on the forewings; Tawny Emperor lacks the marginal eyespots on the forewings.

Habitat

Lives in canyons, streamsides, thorn scrubs, and washes.

Distribution

Found in the southwestern United States, including Arizona and Texas, as well as Mexico.

Diet

Adults feed on dung, sap, and rotten fruit; in rare cases, they feed on nectar. Larvae feed on hackberry.