Sunstreak Books home page Order Form Main Page for Updated Information
Updated Information for A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico & Central America
Brushfoots: Leafwings and Emperors
New photos of a female Guatemalan Leafwing, Anaea (Memphis) forreri [127-3,4]
photos by Berry Nall
Photos of a Boisduval's Leafwing were of a specimen from Polchuk, Mexico labeled as A. oenomais in the Allyn Museum of Entomology. I now believe that this specimen is mislabeled and is actually a female Guatemalan Leafwing, A. forreri. Female Guatemalan Leafwings appear to differ from female Boisduval's Leafwings by their more purple-blue upperside, by their much larger pale areas included in the black portions of the FW above, and by their slightly shorter tails. One other note: every specimen of a female Guatemalan Leafwing that I have seen has the blue-purple subapical areas that are included in the black portions of the FW above a much paler color than the blue-purple color at the bases of the FWs. The female Guatemalan Leafwing photographed at Falcon Heights, Starr Co., Texas on Nov. 17, 2007 has all the blue-purple areas approximately the same color and intensity. Perhaps the color of dead specimens fades differentially on the two areas. Or, the Texas individual may be atypical.
Click here for a PDF comparing females of the two species.