Dusky Emperor
Asterocampa idyja (Geyer, [1828])
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Apaturinae
Identification: Upperside is brown; forewing is hooked. Male forewing with white spots near the tip, and usually a band of yellow spots across the center of the wing. Hindwing has 6 dark submarginal eyespots. Female spots are duller, more diffuse; forewing is broader and not as hooked as in the male. Both sexes have another form in which the colors are paler.
Wing Span: Not reported.
Life History: Males perch to await females.
Flight: October in Arizona.
Caterpillar Hosts: Hackberry species (Celtis) in the elm family (Ulmaceae).
Adult Food: Rotting fruit and occasionally flower nectar from Lantana, Ageratum, and Tournefortia.
Habitat: Woodlands and their edges.
Range: Cuba and the Isle of Pines, Mexico, Guatemala; rare on Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. A rare stray to southeastern Arizona.
Conservation: Not necessary for a rare stray.
NCGR:
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 17, 2021
Submitted by: David F Smith
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Dec 12, 2022
Observation date: Jun 25, 2014
Submitted by: Teresa Jacobs
Region: Dominican Republic
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Jul 03, 2014
Observation date: Sep 25, 1999
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Thea Pyle)
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Oct 03, 1999
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Thea Pyle)
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Sep 01, 1990
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Marcus Lindberg)
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Sep 25, 1999
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Thea Pyle)
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Jan 28, 2009
Observation date: Oct 03, 1999
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Thea Pyle)
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (The Lepidopterists' Society Season Summary)
Verified date: Jan 28, 2009
Observation date: Oct 17, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Oct 21, 2003
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Verified date: Jan 29, 2007
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004