The Butterflies of the World Foundation

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Asterocampa celtis, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 7 May 2006                                                                                    Ref #:  I-346-11

Asterocampa celtis, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 7 May 2006                                                                                  Ref #:  I-346-13.2

Asterocampa celtis, one half mile south of Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 11 May 2007                                                 Ref #:  I-371-14.2

Asterocampa celtis, Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, Comanche County, Oklahoma, 6 June 2009                                                                Ref #:  I-419-17.4

Asterocampa celtis, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 11 June 2009                                                                             Ref #:  I-422-14.4

Hackberry Emperor

Asterocampa celtis, Boisduval & Le Conte, (1835)

Subfamily Apaturinae

Taxonomy

The family Nymphalidae is the largest butterfly family and includes about 6,000 species which are further divided up into 12 subfamilies.  The common name for the family is the Brushfoots or Brushfooted Butterflies.  This strange name is because the first pair of legs are significantly reduced, sometimes to mere stubs, and look like little brushes.  Some of the most common and well known species are in this group such as the Monarch, Red Admiral, Blue Morpho and Painted Lady.  Some of the longest lived butterflies are in this family with some species living over 10 months as adults.  The Brushfoots are distributed worldwide, with the highest diversity found in the tropics.  With this variety, there is also quite a difference in behavior, adult food choices and habitat preference from species to species.

Asterocampa celtis, Oklahoma State University Botanical Garden, Payne County, Oklahoma, 8 May 2010                                                                   Ref #:  I-436-18

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Asterocampa celtis, Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 1 May 2006                                                                                  Ref #:  I-345-11.3

Asterocampa celtis, wing pattern, one half mile south of Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma                                                   Ref #:  PA-9-9.2

Asterocampa celtis, wing pattern, one half mile south of Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma                                                 Ref #:  PA-9-12.2

General Information:

Asterocampa celtis belongs to the subfamily Apaturinae.  This species is found throughout much of the eastern half of the U.S. down to northern Mexico.  Its preferred habitat is along wooded streams, forest glades and river edges, wooded roadsides and towns.

Lifecycle:

The larval food source includes species of various hackberries, Celtis sp.  Males perch on tall objects in sunny areas to watch for females.  Eggs are laid in clusters, and the young caterpillars feed communally.   Caterpillars overwinter in groups gathered inside dead rolled leaves.

Asterocampa celtis along with two Question Marks, Polygonia interrogationis, working their way down to a sap flow next to a poison ivy vine on a post oak.  There are a cluster of other butterflies directly below the Question Marks.  One half mile south of Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, 11 May 2007                                                    Ref #:  I-371-1

Asterocampa celtis, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Marshall County, Oklahoma, 28 April 2012                                                                                  Ref #:  I-504-6.3

Asterocampa celtis, Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, Marshall County, Oklahoma, 28 April 2012                                                                                     Ref #:  I-504-3

Asterocampa celtis, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Osage County, Oklahoma, 15 June 2012

                                                                                            Ref #:  I-526-16.1

Asterocampa celtis, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, Osage County, Oklahoma, 15 June 2012

                                                                                            Ref #:  I-526-11.2