Page 1 of 1
Anaea andria
Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2022 8:49 pm
by livingplanet3
Following about a week of dark, cold, wet weather, today it is now sunny and above 60 F in North TX, and I saw the largest, most perfect male of the winter form of Anaea andria. I was able to photograph (as well as capture) it -
- A_andria_male_winter_form.jpg (231.16 KiB) Viewed 1317 times
Also - the elm trees here have all turned bright yellow, which is not something that I see every year, and seems to be very dependent on having just the right kind of early fall weather -
- elm_11_27_22_01.jpg (374.39 KiB) Viewed 1317 times
- elm_11_27_22_03.jpg (365.84 KiB) Viewed 1317 times
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 1:44 pm
by Chuck
Great photo of andria.
As far as the trees, at least you still have Elms, and still have leaves. LOL.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 5:25 pm
by livingplanet3
Chuck wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 1:44 pm
Great photo of andria.
As far as the trees, at least you still have Elms, and still have leaves. LOL.
True - TX has been less affected by Dutch elm disease, despite it having been present in the US for nearly a century. There have been some occasional outbreaks here, but not on the scale seen in the East and Midwest. American elm is one of the most common trees in my area, and I really hope it will remain so.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 12:22 am
by daveuk
That's a beautiful photo & specimen of A andria. I love these fiery red "true" Anaea. Only have a handful in my collection.
Top picture on the left are a pair of A troglodyda portia from Jamaica. On the right two male A aidea from Texas & Mexico. Bottom is the underside of a female A aidea from Texas.
Bottom picture left a pair of A troglodyta cubana from Cuba & on the right another pair of A t. portia from Jamiaca. Not sure the identification or data is right on this pair though as they are from an old collection in which quite a few specimens were misidentified.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:31 pm
by livingplanet3
daveuk wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 12:22 am
That's a beautiful photo & specimen of A andria. I love these fiery red "true" Anaea. Only have a handful in my collection.
Top picture on the left are a pair of A troglodyda portia from Jamaica. On the right two male A aidea from Texas & Mexico. Bottom is the underside of a female A aidea from Texas.
Bottom picture left a pair of A troglodyta cubana from Cuba & on the right another pair of A t. portia from Jamiaca. Not sure the identification or data is right on this pair though as they are from an old collection in which quite a few specimens were misidentified.
The taxonomy of the tribe Anaeini seems to be unsettled, especially for the genus Anaea. By most recent accounts, there are currently only three species classified under the genus Anaea:
aidea,
andria, and
troglodyta. All three of these can be found in the US (with andria having the widest distribution), and according to some authors, these three "species" may actually all be ssp. of troglodyta.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:16 pm
by daveuk
[/quote]
The taxonomy of the tribe Anaeini seems to be unsettled, especially for the genus Anaea. By most recent accounts, there are currently only three species classified under the genus Anaea: aidea, andria, and troglodyta. All three of these can be found in the US (with andria having the widest distribution), and according to some authors, these three "species" may actually all be ssp. of troglodyta.
[/quote]
Thanks for that information. Would love to see the A andria from your photo when & if you have spread it.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:48 pm
by livingplanet3
daveuk wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:16 pm
Thanks for that information.
Incidentally, there are at least four other species of Anaeini that have occasionally been sighted in the US (all tropical strays): Fountainea glycerium, Memphis forreri, Memphis pithyusa (extreme southern Texas), and Hypna clytemnestra (Florida Keys).
https://bugguide.net/node/view/483629/bgpage
daveuk wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:16 pm
Would love to see the A andria from your photo when & if you have spread it.
I plan to eventually post photos of many of my butterfly and beetle specimens on this forum, once I have them spread.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2022 9:02 pm
by 58chevy
Here are some of my specimens. Very similar to the others pictured. Left column is A. andria, Right column is A. aidea.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2022 10:12 pm
by livingplanet3
58chevy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 9:02 pm
Here are some of my specimens. Very similar to the others pictured. Left column is A. andria, Right column is A. aidea...
I tend to lean toward the view that andria, aidea, and troglodyta are probably separate species, rather than all being ssp. of troglodyta. Of course, one can't use physical characteristics alone in making taxonomic divisions. In any case, hybridization between the three seems likely to be possible, although this might be a rare occurrence in nature. Apparently, only andria and aidea have ranges that overlap.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 12:10 am
by 58chevy
The specimens in the picture I posted were all collected in the same area (near Houston, TX).
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 3:28 am
by livingplanet3
58chevy wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 12:10 am
The specimens in the picture I posted were all collected in the same area (near Houston, TX).
I wasn't aware that aidea ranged as far as Houston, but in checking records, I see that it's also been sighted in San Antonio -
https://bugguide.net/node/view/410974/bgimage
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 3:45 am
by 58chevy
I suppose it's possible that the aidea specimens are hybrids. That would have to be determined by DNA analysis.
Re: Anaea andria
Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2022 4:02 am
by livingplanet3
58chevy wrote: ↑Thu Dec 01, 2022 3:45 am
I suppose it's possible that the aidea specimens are hybrids. That would have to be determined by DNA analysis.
Apart from the southern half of TX, aidea is also known from southern NM and AZ. Here's a map with aidea sightings -
https://www.inaturalist.org/observation ... _id=148810
The northernmost observations are probably misidentified andria.