Leafwing-butterfly
Guides
Anaea troglodyta
Florida leafwing, Portia, Florida goatweed butterfly, Jamaican tropical leafwing, Cuban red leaf
A Nymphalidae butterfly with a wingspan of 76–90 mm, found in southern Florida and throughout the Caribbean. The species exhibits seasonal polyphenism, with distinct dry-season and wet-season forms. Larvae feed on Croton species, while adults consume rotting fruit, dung, and fluids. Taxonomic status is contested: some authorities recognize over 230 species in the genus Anaea, while others (following Lamas 2004) treat all populations as a single species, Anaea troglodyta.
Anaea troglodyta floridalis
Florida Leafwing
Anaea troglodyta floridalis is a federally endangered subspecies of butterfly endemic to southern Florida. It is one of the most imperiled butterflies in North America, with populations restricted to pine rockland and tropical hardwood hammock habitats in Miami-Dade County and Everglades National Park. The subspecies is highly dependent on its host plant Croton linearis for larval development. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and fire suppression have contributed to its decline, with remaining populations concentrated in protected areas.