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Photo#331011
Clyton vs. Celtis - Asterocampa

Clyton vs. Celtis - Asterocampa
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA
Individual photos:


Just wanted to add some comments
First, the A. clyton is a male, and the A. celtis is a female, so that is why the over-all shape of the wings is different (and it's a good male - female comparison, even if different species).

Also, I wanted to comment that it is important not to focus on the color hue, over-all darkness, or "strength" of the dark markings. Look instead at the eye spots on the front wing (or lack of them), and look at the placment and shape of the dark markings (especially toward the base of the wings. A. clyton is probably more varied in coloring, and is more likely to have very dark wings in some individuals, but not in all.

They are very similar species, but not difficult to tell apart once you get the hang of it.

 
leilia & celtis
This is good but I need some rules -- and perhaps images -- for identification between A. celtis & A. leilia. There seems to be intermediates: , , , .

 
I'm not sure
Perhaps the range? For example A. leilia are not found north, but Hackberry Emperors are found all throughout the East and midwest.

 
AZ Overlap
There is species overlap in Arizona. David is acquainted with the area. Maybe he's still subscribed and is acquainted with the problem.

 
Sorry, I didn't see the added comments asking about A. leilia
right off. A. celtis & A. leilia are not difficult to tell apart. All of the thumbnails in the comment above are A. celtis. If you look at the bars across the discal cell in the front wing, in A. leilia there are two complete bars (though they might be irregular in shape). Generally the space between the two bars is noticeably pale (not always). Also, the bars are often distinctly orangey (again - not always). In A. celtis the basal of the two bars is broken into two off-set spots, the space between them usually matches the surrounding area closely, and the bars/spots themselves are usually not particularly orangey (more often sort of a chocolate brown). There are other differences, but this is the easiest. The two species also tend to use different species of Hackberry for their larvae when found together, so tend to hang around different trees (or bushes).

It wouldn't surprise me if they can hybridize on occasion, and some rare specimens are indeed rather intermediate in appearance; such as this one:

 
Thanks David
This gives me the definitive character to look at.

 
leilia & celtis
This is good but I need some rules -- and perhaps images -- for identification between A. celtis & A. leilia.

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