According to the North American Butterfly Association (NABA), the Empress Leilia is one of six Emperor butterflies (Apaturinae subfamily) in the larger brushfooted family. Its range is limited to the southern border areas of Texas and, more commonly, throughout Arizona.
The Empress Leilia closely resembles the Hackberry Emperor, a common Eastern and Midwestern species.
Generally, having only a side view of the butterfly is insufficient for identification purposes.
For example, the side view photo of the Empress Leilia on the left shows a pattern of seven blue spots, each circled by a light color border.
The Hackberry Emperor shows the same pattern.
In areas where the two species overlap, positive identification requires an examination of the top wing pattern.
The top view of the Empress Leilia on the left also looks almost identical to the top view of the Hackberry Emperor.
The difference between species is slight.
If you look at the first dark spot on the top of the wing that is closest to the body section, you will notice that the dark spot is solid. That is its identifying mark.
The mark on the Hackberry Empress, at the same location, is broken up into two smaller spots.
