Asterocampa clyton subpallida

Photo Life History: Asterocampa clyton subpallida

Habitat:  Desert Mountains of SE Arizona

Host Plants:  Celtis reticulata

Suitable Lab Host Plants:  Celtis occidentalis; (Many species of Celtis work well in the lab.)

How to Find Female Butterflies:  Click here. 

Caring for Live Female Butterflies:  Nectaring techniques

Methods of Female Oviposition:   Open Screen Cages.  (Similar to this video which shows how females of A. celtis celtis were set up for eggs.  Make sure you provide females with new growth hackberry leaves.)

How to Find Eggs:  Look on Host Plants with New Growth. 

How to Hatch Eggs:  Consolidate eggs into one container.

How to Find Caterpillars in the Field: Look on Host Plants with New Growth; Look for Gregarious Caterpillar Nests

How to Find Pupae in the Field:  (See notes below.)

Caterpillar setups:  Open terrariums; Open Bucket.

Larva to Pupa:  Caterpillar silks to leaf or twig; creates and attaches cremaster; hanging before pupating.

Number of Broods per Year:  2-3

Overwintering Stage:  Third instar

Overwintering Strategies: Your Own Backyard; Refrigerator  Balance humidity with airflow or larvae will desiccate (insufficient humidity) or mold (insufficient airflow.)

Post-Hibernation Strategies: Provide post-diapause third instar larvae with healthy host plant; allowing them to resume feeding. 

Avoiding Diapause Techniques:  Expose larvae to 24 hours of light; Healthy Host Plant.

Disease Prevention:  Change out host plant and remove frass every four to five days in an open bucket or open terrarium setup. 

Emergence:  Emergence Container

Field Notes:  Doug Mullins reports that if A. clyton subpallida pupae are sufficiently disturbed, pupae wiggle on the hackberry leaves; making an audible scraping sound allowing you to locate pupae.  Larvae have been found at the Patagonia Rest Stop, Santa Cruz County, Arizona.