Observation date: October 11, 2016
Submitted by: NanoNaturalist
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: This butterfly was identified as Asterocampa celtis on iNaturalist (http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/4329919). After being told that Travis county was out of the range for Asterocampa leilia, I blindly assumed that A. clyton and A. celtis were my only options. However, after raising "both" species from eggs to adulthood (and as found larvae to adulthood) in the time since this photo was taken, I have noticed some interesting patterns in the placement of the eyespots in A. celtis (both wild and captive raised), and looked up the genus revision from 1987. It appears that I have been observing a mixture of A. leilia and A. celtis, but having them IDed as A. celtis. Even more interesting: I found a cluster of three eggs this spring and raised them to adulthood. All hatched the same day and grew about the same rate, one taking a few days longer than the other two to pupate and eclose. I reviewed these pictures and at least one of the first two was A. celtis, but the third (I believe) is A. leilia.
I would love confirmation from the experts that my identification is correct or incorrect. I have many more photos (including of eggs and larva, and have retained the head capsules and vacated chrysalises), but I have selected this photo as it was my first observation of Asterocampa with one cell between forewing eyespots and without a broken basal discal bar on the forewing.
Status: Resident
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: September 11, 2017
Coordinator notes: A. leilia has been documented in TX as far north as DFW and Abilene. It is a resident in Travis Co. It is distinguished from A. celtis as follows. The forewing has 2 solid brown bars in the cell (in A. celtis, the innermost bar is broken in half), median white spots, and 2 black eyespots near the outer margin (A. celtis has one). See the respective species pages on BAMONA and also bugguide.net. SAT
