Asterocampa leilia

Asterocampa leilia, the Empress Leilia, Leilia hackberry butterfly or desert hackberry,^[1] is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae.

Asterocampa leilia
upperside
underside
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Asterocampa
Species:	A. leilia
Binomial name
Asterocampa leilia W.H. Edwards, 1874
Synonyms
Apatura leilia W.H. Edwards, 1874 Apatura cocles W.H. Edwards, 1884 Apatura cocles Lintner, [1885]

Description

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

The species can be found in the south-western United States, including Arizona and Texas, as well as Mexico.

Ecology and habitat

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]