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Gold-spotted Aguna (Aguna asander [Hewitson])
Wing span: 1 7/8 - 2 3/16 inches (3.8 - 5.6 cm).
Identification: Wings are chestnut brown. Forewing has pale spots that are all about the same size. Underside of hindwing has a blurry rectangular silver patch.
Life history: Adults rest on the underside of leaves.
Flight: April, June, and August-November in South Texas; December-January in Mexico.
Caterpillar hosts: Legumes including Bauhinia.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Tropical scrub and nearby openings and edges.
Range: Argentina north through Central America and Mexico to the West Indies. Strays to the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas and rarely to southeastern Arizona.
Conservation: Not necessary for a rare stray.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson
field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Smith, D. S., L. D. Miller, and J. Y. Miller. 1994. The butterflies of the West
Indies and South Florida. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 264 pages, 32
color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Bailowitz, R. A. and J. P. Brock. 1991. Butterflies of Southeastern Arizona.
Tucson, Ariz.: Sonoran Arthropod Studies, Inc.
Garth, J.S. 1950. Butterflies of Grand Canyon National Park. Grand Canyon
Natural History Association, Grand Canyon, Ariz.
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised
edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies.
Privately published, Denver, Colo.
Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies.
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
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