Asterocampa leilia, the Empress Leilia, Leilia hackberry butterfly or desert hackberry,[1] is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.
| Asterocampa leilia | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Asterocampa |
| Species: | A. leilia
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| Binomial name | |
| Asterocampa leilia W.H. Edwards, 1874
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| Synonyms | |
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Description edit
Adults are brownish orange, with white and black spots on the bottom of the wings.[2] The length of the wings is 1.5 to 2 inches (38 to 51 mm).[3]
Distribution edit
The species can be found in the south-western United States, including Arizona and Texas, as well as Mexico.
Ecology and habitat edit
Adults feed on dung, sap and rotten fruit.[4] In very rare cases the species will feed on nectar. They live in canyons, streamsides, thorn scrubs, and washes.[5] Males of the species will wait near their food plants for females to appear.[6] Larvae feed on hackberry.[7]
References edit
- ^ "Asterocampa leilia". Arizonensis. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Asterocampa leilia". Dallas Butterflies. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Asterocampa leilia". Bug Guide. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ Rotten fruit feeding
- ^ "Empress Leilia Asterocampa leilia (W.H. Edwards, 1874)". Butterflies and moths. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Empress Leilia". Fire Fly Forest. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- ^ "Larvae feeding". Archived from the original on 2012-05-10. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
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