Asterocampa celtis
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Asterocampa celtis |
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| ( Boisduval & Leconte , 1835) |
Asterocampa celtis ( Syn .: Apatura Celtis ) is a butterfly fromthe noble butterfly family (Nymphalidae).
features
butterfly
The wingspan of these moths is 40 to 55 millimeters, according to other sources between 50 and 66 millimeters. They are yellow-brown in color and have white spots on the tips of the forewings. On the hind wing there are black spots that form a row on the outer edge. The upper sides of the forewings have a characteristic black eye spot on the outer edge. The undersides of the wings are lighter in color and have the same spots as on the upper side, but the spots here are still outlined in white. The males are usually smaller than the females and have narrower wings.
egg
The eggs are creamy green, white, or light yellow in color and marked by a series of vertical ribs.
Caterpillar
The body of the caterpillars is green with green-blue sides and yellow stripes that partly run in a zigzag line. There are bright spots between the hairs. The head is green or brown with vertical cream-colored stripes and two long fork horns behind each of which a yellow line runs. Adult caterpillars reach a size of around 35 millimeters. They have very rough skin.
Doll
The pupae are yellow to blue-green with a yellow line in the middle on the back and light spots on the belly as well as many white diagonal lines below the back. One of these lines comes from the anal angle (tornus) of the wing and two other thick lines run from the tips of the horns to the center of the thorax near the topline. There are also white wavy lines on the sides of the abdomen that run around the upper part of the wing.
Similar species
- Asterocampa leilia , has two darker areas and two black eye spots on the fore wing.
Behavior and way of life
Adult butterflies feed on the juices of rotting fruit and fruit but sometimes also take flower nectar for. B. from the water feast ( Eupatorium ), mud, carrion and excrement . Males sit on small trees, sunlit logs, or other elevated objects all day, waiting for females to fly by. Most often they do this from early afternoon to sunset. Likewise, human heads, provided they are in their territory, are gladly taken viewing platforms, here they also absorb sweat. You have a very fast flight. Females are less active than males, making them harder to observe. Several generations are trained from March to November in southern Texas and Florida . In Missouri it is three generations and further north then two generations from June to September. Sometimes entire flocks of these butterflies gather in their southern range.
The caterpillars especially eat young leaves of hackberry trees ( Celtis ) and elm trees (Ulmaceae). They are solitary and often rest on the underside of leaves. Their development is faster than that of the species Asterocampa clyton . The species overwinters in the third caterpillar stage. To do this, they withdraw into a nest made of two leaves that are spun together. Here it also turns brown during the winter.
The eggs are mostly laid individually, but sometimes in groups of up to 20, rarely more, on young food plants or fresh shoots. Sometimes on bark or twigs.
distribution and habitat
The species is distributed in North America from the subtropical to the temperate zone. Their distribution area extends from southern Mexico northeast in the southwest of the USA to Nebraska and in large parts of the eastern USA. Exceptions are the northern halves of Wisconsin , Michigan and New York as well as New England . It is common in north and central Florida but is rare in south Florida.
It inhabits very different habitats from river forests to deserts but also urban parks or mountain regions.
Subspecies
The ITIS report distinguishes between 3 subspecies:
- Asterocampa celtis celtis , (Boisduval & Leconte, 1835) , is darker in color.
- Asterocampa celtis antonia , ( WH Edwards , 1878) , the inner eye spot is white. In the more easterly distribution area it is black or black with a white point or with a white ring the further you go to the west. The distribution area is in the southwest of the USA such as California , Arizona to north and central Mexico.
- Asterocampa celtis reinthali , Friedlander, 1988 , Florida.
There is another subspecies in literature.
- Asterocampa celtis alicia , the outer half of the forewings is darker and the basic color is more orange. Found in the southeastern United States.
status
The species is widespread and common.
swell
literature
- Elizabeth Balmer: Butterflies: Recognizing and Identifying. Parragon Books, 2007, ISBN 9781407512037 , p. 99
- James A. Scott: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford 1992, ISBN 978-0804720137 , pp. 255-256
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Butterflies of America , accessed December 29, 2014
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Profile at University of Florida , English, accessed on December 29, 2014
- ^ A b c Butterflies and Moth of North America , accessed December 29, 2014
- ↑ a b Web archive: Butterfly Fun Facts ( Memento from January 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), English, accessed on December 29, 2014
- ^ ITIS report , English, accessed on December 29, 2014
- ↑ James A. Scott: The Butterflies of North America: A Natural History and Field Guide. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1986, ISBN 0-8047-2013-4 , pp. 255-256
