Goatweed Leafwing
Anaea andria Scudder, 1875
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Charaxinae
Identification: Underside looks like a dead leaf. Male summer form is dull red with a barely hooked forewing tip, and a short tail on the hindwing. Male winter form is redder with more dark markings, a definitely hooked forewing tip, and a longer tail than the summer form. Both female forms are lighter red and have an irregular yellow submarginal band. The winter female form has hooked forewing tips.
Wing Span: 2 3/8 - 3 1/4 inches (6 - 8.2 cm).
Life History: Flight is swift, strong, and erratic. Males perch in clearings or on ridgetops to wait for females. Eggs are laid singly under host plant leaves; caterpillars eat leaves. A caterpillar changes shelters as it grows: first it perches on a leaf midvein, then lives in the shelter of a folded leaf, and finally rests in a rolled-up leaf. Adults hibernate, then mate in the spring.
Flight: The winter form flies from August-May, the summer form from July-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Goatweed (Croton capitatum), Texas croton (C. texensis), and prairie tea (C. monanthogynus); all in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae).
Adult Food: Sap, rotting fruit, dung, bird droppings.
Habitat: Deciduous woods and scrub, especially along waterways; open fields, roadsides, railroad tracks, and other places.
Range: Eastern Wyoming and eastern Colorado south to New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas; east to Michigan, South Carolina, Virginia, and the Gulf States.
Conservation: Not usually of conservation concern.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 1300 verified sightings
Observation date: Dec 07, 2022
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 08, 2022
Observation date: Oct 29, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 30, 2022
Observation date: Oct 14, 2022
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2022
Submitted by: WYbutterflyer1
Region: McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 12, 2022
Observation date: Feb 26, 2021
Submitted by: Txzinnia
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2008
Submitted by: doris potter
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2022
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: Colbert County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: May 10, 2022
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Craighead County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 10, 2022
Observation date: May 06, 2022
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 08, 2022
Observation date: Apr 26, 2022
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 06, 2022
Observation date: Apr 22, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Apr 23, 2022
Observation date: Apr 12, 2022
Submitted by: blablancwilis
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 22, 2022
Observation date: Apr 17, 2022
Submitted by: Marta Reece
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 20, 2022
Observation date: Aug 14, 2021
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Apr 19, 2022
Observation date: Apr 11, 2022
Submitted by: cjgoin
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 13, 2022
Observation date: Apr 09, 2022
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Craighead County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 12, 2022
Observation date: Apr 08, 2022
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 11, 2022
Observation date: Sep 16, 2021
Submitted by: stevecary
Region:
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 13, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: stevecary
Region:
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 13, 2022
Observation date: May 27, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Suwannee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 21, 2021
Observation date: Mar 12, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Nov 01, 2021
Observation date: Jun 20, 2021
Submitted by: J. Trapnell
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: S. J. Stedman
Verified date: Nov 01, 2021
Observation date: Oct 16, 2021
Submitted by: Margaret and I 1996
Region: Texas, United States, Wichita County
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 26, 2021
Observation date: Oct 09, 2021
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Burleson County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 11, 2021
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