Angled Leafwing (Anaea glycerium [Doubleday])
Wing span: 2 5/16 - 3 3/16 inches (5.9 - 8.1 cm).
Identification: Upperside orange. Tip of forewing is pointed; outer margin is irregular and indented. Hindwing is concave between vein ends. Underside resembles a dead leaf.
Life history: Flight is swift and strong. Males perch to watch for females. Young caterpillars make a perch from a leaf midvein, older ones live in the shelter of a rolled leaf.
Flight: Wet season form flies from June-September; dry season form in October. Flies in July in South Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Croton jalapensis in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae).
Adult food: Sap and rotting fruit.
Habitat: Disturbed subtropical forests and edges.
Range: Northern South America north through Central America to Mexico. Strays to South Texas.
Conservation: Not required for a rare tropical stray.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might 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.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
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.