DOCSLIB.ORG

Petition to List Cloudcroft Checkerspot Butterfly As a Federally Endangered Species

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Petition to List Cloudcroft Checkerspot Butterfly As a Federally Endangered Species PETITION TO LIST CLOUDCROFT CHECKERSPOT BUTTERFLY Euphydryas chalcedona cloudcrofti (Occidryas anicia cloudcrofti Ferris and R. W. Holland) AS A FEDERALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES . November, 1998 Southwest Center for Biological Diversity Box 710 Tucson, Arizona 85702 Endangered Species Report Number 41 Presented to: Bruce Babbitt Jamie Rappaport Clark Secretary of the Interior Director Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 18th and "C" Street, NW 18th and "C" Street, NW Washington D.C. 202040 Washington, D.C. 20240 Nancy Kaufman Jennifer Fowler-Propst Regional Director Field Supervisor, NM Field Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 500 Gold Ave, SW 2105 Osuna Road, NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113 PETITION PETITIONERS The Southwest Center for Biological Diversity and Kieran Suckling formally The Southwest Center for Biological petition to list the Cloudcroft Checkerspot Diversity is a non-profit public interest Butterfly (Euphydryas chalcedona cloudcrofti organization dedicated to protecting the Ferris and Holland) as an endangered species diverse life forms of the American Southwest pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, 16 and northern Mexico. U.S.C. 1531 et seq. (ESA). This petition is filed under U.S.C. 553(e) and 50 CFR 424.14 Kieran Suckling is a Doctoral Candidate and (1997), which grants interested parties the executive director of the Southwest Center right to petition for issuance of a rule from the for Biological Diversity. He is deeply Secretary of Interior. involved in the conservation of biological diversity, including numerous butterfly Petitioners request that Critical Habitat be species. designated concurrent with the listing, pursuant to 50 CFR 424.12 and the SUMMARY Administrative Procedures Act (5 U.S.C. 553). For reasons made clear within the The Cloudcroft Checkerspot Butterfly petition, we also request review of this (Euphydryas chalcedona cloudcrofti) is a rare petition for emergency listing described in 50 species known only from one small area in a CFR 424.20. single isolated mountain range of southern New Mexico. It is one of approximately 270 species of butterfly in New Mexico, which has the third-highest butterfly richness of any 2 Petition to List Cloudcroft Checkerspot Butterfly as Endangered state (Opler, 1995). It is a little known habitat is not subject to protections such as subspecies and biological and ecological those available on federal land. Based on information about the entity is much needed. examination of past, present and potential habitat losses, disruptions, and vulnerabilities, Habitat for E. c. cloudrofti on private and the subspecies appears to be threatened with federal land in the Sacramento Mountains is extinction throughout all or a significant steadily being developed primarily for portion of its range. residential use. Federal proposals in 1997 to relinquish public lands to the Village of Emergency listing is prompted by the Cloudcroft, pursuant to the Townsite Act of imminent potential for a significant portion of 1958, would affect critical components of the the species’ limited range to be converted to a subspecies’ habitat range. The effects of heavy equipment maintenance yard, ballfields, urbanization through Village expansion would and sewage treatment plants. The Forest contribute to cumulative effects of habitat loss Service’s Townsite Act decision would and may foreclose options later determined to commit irretrievable resources that may be important to butterfly persistence. preclude future options for avoiding jeopardy to the species. The timeframe required for These impacts are in addition to those posed precluding this possibility through normal by habitat loss from rural development, listing procedures is approximately 1-2 years. highways, campgrounds, and administrative By all indications, the Forest Service is ready sites. They also add to the effects of less to formally propose the overdue transfer obvious ecosystem disruptions by historic through the NEPA process now. All efforts to farming practices, past insecticide use, the have the Forest Service conserve the species advent and expansion of non-native, prior to listing have failed. aggressive weeds, global climate change, fire suppression and continued livestock grazing. TAXONOMY The majority of acres of the habitat type used Class: Insecta by the Cloudcroft checkerspot butterfly is Order: Lepidoptera located within privately owned lands. This SubOrder: Macrolepidoptera renders the available federal habitat to be of Superfamily: Ditrysia disproportionately high value for the ultimate Family: Nymphalidae conservation of the taxon and its habitat. Of Subfamily: Nymphalinae the roughly 6,000 acres of meadow habitat in Genus: Euphydryas the known range, only 25 to 30% is within Species: chalcedona federal jurisdiction (Galeano-Popp, 1997). Subspecies: cloudcrofti Synonomy: Occidryas anicia cloudcrofti The Cloudcroft checkerspot butterfly is Euphydryas anicia cloudcrofti vulnerable due to its limited range and distribution in a single small population Since the original description of E. c. within a single isolated mountain range. cloudcrofti in 1980 (Ferris and Holland), Furthermore, the majority of the subspecies' there have been numerous changes in the 3 Petition to List Cloudcroft Checkerspot Butterfly as Endangered nomenclature and classification of the genus restricted distribution and isolation is high, and closely allied genera. The genus relative to other members of the genus, Occidryas is no longer acknowledged by most because it represents the very building blocks Lepidopterists and is instead recognized as of an allopatric speciation model, which could being within the concept of Euphydryas. be perceived as the major mechanism of evolution within the genus (Pratt, pers. Furthermore, some lepidopterists have merged comm.). E. chalcedona, E. colon and E. anicia into a "superspecies" or species "complex" DESCRIPTION (Brussard et. al. 1989; NABA 1995; Scott, TECHNICAL: 1986; Opler, pers.comm.). Thus, based on the most recent publications in the literature, the Foreward wing costal margin length in males subspecies cloudcrofti is referred to as ranges 21 - 24 mm and 22 - 28 mm in Euphydryas chalcedona cloudcrofti. females. Ferris and Holland (1980) described However, not all lepidopterists agree with this the subspecies E. c. cloudcrofti as generally concept and prefer to view E. chalcedona, E. similar to E. c. chuskae but differs from it in colon and E. anicia as separate species. These ground color and more extensive black experts would classify the Cloudcroft entity as maculation dorsally. The ventral forward E. anicia cloudcrofti. wing (VFW) postmarginal pale spotband is heavily outlined in black as is the VHW basal Regardless of nomenclature used, all experts anal margin region. The two quadrate VFW concur that the Cloudcroft checkerspot is cells spots nearly touch while they are clearly unique and taxonomically valid at the separated in E. c. chuskae. The distal subspecies level (Opler, pers. comm. Pratt, hindwing (DHW) postdiscal band is slightly pers. comm; Emmel, pers. comm.). darker than the ground color while in E. c. Furthermore, experts believe that it’s chuskae it is concolorous. geographic isolation makes the subspecies “a species in the making”. The geographically closest known relatives to E. c. cloudcrofti are the subspecies E. c. capella in southern Colorado and E. c. chuskae in northwestern New Mexico (Ferris and Holland, 1980). The restricted distribution (within a small area above 8000’ elevation) and genetic isolation of E. c. cloudcrofti from all other populations of the genus and species is notable. The smallest Figure 1. Adult Cloudcroft checkerspot distance between E. c. cloudcrofti and the two butterfly. observed in late July, 1997. Photo by J. neighboring subspecies may be as great as Popp. several hundred miles (Ferris and Holland, 1980). The evolutionary significance of its 4 Petition to List Cloudcroft Checkerspot Butterfly as Endangered The antennae are scaled and clubbed. Most species’ larvae lack branching spines on the head but have many on the body, including mid-dorsal spines (Figure 3). The pupae (chrysalis) have conspicuous projections and hang from the cremaster (abdominal appendage) alone (Figure 4). Figure 2. Underwing of Cloudcroft checkerspot butterfly. Photo by J. Popp The sexes are similar dorsally. However, the DHW pale markings are evident in the females of E. c. cloudcrofti but generally subdued in the males, which is the opposite of E. c. chuskae. Ventrally, both sexes of E. c. cloudcrofti are similar to E. c. capella. Ferris and Holland (1980) described it as boldly Figure 3. Cloudcroft checkerspot post-diapause marked and the dorsal ground color is larva observed late June, 1998. Photo by T. repeated. The principal VFW maculation Narahashi. consists of a repetition of the dorsal subapical white-spot rows and black outlines of the cell quadrate spots. On the VHW, the three (basal-discal, postdiscal, marginal) dark orange spot-bands are clearly defined and lack the cream-buff intrusion found in E. c. carmentis and E. c. chuskae. The veins and spot borders are strongly defined in black (Figures 1 and 2). NON-TECHNICAL The Cloudcroft checkerspot is classified in the Family Nymphalidae, the "brush-footed butterflies (Scott, 1986; Ferris and Brown 1981). This is one of the largest family of Figure 4. Cloudcroft checkerspot pupa attached butterflies. In nymphalids,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Rainfall, Resources, and Dispersal in Southern Populations of Euphydryas Edit Ha (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)
    PAN-PACIFIC ENTOMOLOGIST 60(4), 1984, pp. 350-354 Rainfall, Resources, and Dispersal in Southern Populations of Euphydryas edit ha (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) RO-4-122 Dennis D. Murphy and Raymond R. White Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305. While the dispersal capacity of an insect species probably changes little from one generation to another, its actual dispersal or vagility may vary considerably. This is well documented for insects which have migratory generations, such as locusts, aphids, and butterflies, but remains virtually undocumented in non-mi- gratory species. One exception is the butterfly, Euphydryas editha. Individuals of this species were originally shown to be extremely sedentary (Ehrlich, 1965), but in some populations the mean dispersal distance of individuals was recently observed to change dramatically from one generation to the next. These changes in vagility appeared to be influenced by the availability of oviposition plants and adult nectar resources; significantly greater vagility occurred in drier years when those resources were sparse (White and Levin, 1981). However, subsequent field observations of four E. editha populations in South¬ ern California indicate that the determinants of vagility are more complicated. In 1977 these populations exploded in size and mass dispersal was observed. Here we discuss how weather and butterfly population size interact to determine host plant availability and butterfly population dynamics. Additionally, we consider the biogeographic and genetic consequences of dramatic population fluctuations in E. editha, and the mechanisms by which both the butterflies and their host plants respond to environmental stress. Life History Euphydryas editha populations in San Diego County usually fly in a four to eight week period, starting as early as mid-January and ending as late as the end of April, depending on the timing of winter rainfall.
    [Show full text]
  • Taylor's Checkerspot (Euphydryas Editha Taylori) Oviposition Habitat Selection and Larval Hostplant Use in Washington State
    TAYLOR'S CHECKERSPOT (EUPHYDRYAS EDITHA TAYLORI) OVIPOSITION HABITAT SELECTION AND LARVAL HOSTPLANT USE IN WASHINGTON STATE By Daniel Nelson Grosboll A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Environmental Studies The Evergreen State College June 2011 © 2011 by Daniel Nelson Grosboll. All rights reserved. This Thesis for the Master of Environmental Study Degree by Daniel Nelson Grosboll has been approved for The Evergreen State College by ________________________ Judy Cushing, Ph.D. Member of the Faculty ______________ Date Abstract Taylor's checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori) oviposition habitat selection and larval hostplant use in Washington State Taylor’s checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori (W.H. Edwards 1888)), a Federal Endangered Species Act candidate species, is found in remnant colonies between extreme southwestern British Columbia and the southern Willamette Valley in Oregon. This butterfly and its habitat have declined precipitously largely due to anthropogenic impacts. However, this butterfly appears to benefit from some land management activities and some populations are dependent on an exotic hostplant. Oviposition sites determine what resources are available for larvae after they hatch. Larval survival and growth on three reported hostplants (Castilleja hispida, Plantago lanceolata, and P. major) were measured in captivity to determine the suitability of hostplant species and to develop captive rearing methods. Larvae successfully developed on C. hispida and P. lanceolata. Parameters of oviposition sites were measured within occupied habitat at four sites in Western Washington. Sampling occurred at two spatial scales with either complete site censuses or stratified systematic sampling on larger sites. Within the sampled or censused areas, oviposition sites were randomly selected for paired oviposition/adjacent non-oviposition microhabitat measurements.
    [Show full text]
  • Nymphalidae: Melitaeini) and Their Parasitoids
    72© Entomologica Fennica. 22 October 2001 Wahlberg et al. • ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 12 Natural history of some Siberian melitaeine butterfly species (Nymphalidae: Melitaeini) and their parasitoids Niklas Wahlberg, Jaakko Kullberg & Ilkka Hanski Wahlberg, N., Kullberg, J. & Hanski, I. 2001: Natural history of some Siberian melitaeine butterfly species (Nymphalidae: Melitaeini) and their parasitoids. — Entomol. Fennica 12: 72–77. We report observations on the larval gregarious behaviour, host plant use and parasitoids of six species of melitaeine butterfly in the Russian Republic of Buryatia. We observed post-diapause larvae in two habitats, steppe and taiga forest region. Five species were found in the steppe region: Euphydryas aurinia davidi, Melitaea cinxia, M. latonigena, M. didymoides and M. phoebe. Three species (M. cinxia, M. latonigena and M. didymoides) fed on the same host plant, Veronica incana (Plantaginaceae). Euphydryas aurinia larvae were found on Scabiosa comosa (Dipsacaceae) and M. phoebe larvae on Stemmacantha uniflora (Asteraceae). Three species were found in the taiga region (M. cinxia, M. latonigena and M. centralasiae), of which the first two fed on Veronica incana. Five species of hymenopteran parasitoids and three species of dipteran parasitoids were reared from the butterfly larvae of five species. Niklas Wahlberg, Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden; E-mail: [email protected] Ilkka Hanski, Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Ecology and Systematics, Division of Population Biology, P.O. Box 17, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; E-mail: ilkka.hanski@helsinki.fi Jaakko Kullberg, Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 17, FIN- 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; E-mail: jaakko.kullberg@helsinki.fi Received 2 February 2001, accepted 18 April 2001 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Euphydryas 1
    Identification Guide: Small Fritillaries - Euphydryas 1 Distinguishing Euphydryas by size A comparison of approximate average sizes* Identifying fritillaries* in Europe is difficult due to there being over 40 superficially similar species. As a starting point they are usually roughly divided by size into: 23-40mm ‘large’ fritillaries [Argynnis, Fabriciana, Speyeria], ‘medium-sized’ fritillaries 17-26mm [Brenthis, Issoria], and ‘small’ fritillaries [Boloria, Euphydryas, Melitaea]. Two 14-24mm separate guides in this series cover the Large/Medium Sized and Boloria. A future guide will cover the other small fritillaries, i.e. Melitaea. Euphydryas are noticeably smaller than Argynnis, Fabriciana and Speyeria (see diagram opposite) making confusion with these species very unlikely. MEDIUM SMALL However, the medium sized species, which are intermediates, can be comparable LARGE [Brenthis, Issoria] [Boloria, Euphydryas, in size to Euphydryas with Brenthis ino and Brenthis hecate being most similar. [Argynnis, Fabriciana, * This is an arbitrary grouping, see note on page 4. Melitaea] Speyeria] * if this page is displayed or printed at A4 size Distinguishing the six species of Euphydryas from Boloria, Brenthis, Issoria, and Melitaea Melitaea Euphydryas Uppersides Euphydryas uppersides are usually Boloria, Brenthis, Issoria bright and multicoloured whilst most* Melitaea males and females tend to be duller and uniformly coloured. Euphydryas males and Melitaea athalia females usually have colourful Some Euphydryas have a row uppersides resembling a grid or of small black dots in a distinct orange band net-like pattern, which readily Euphydryas maturna Euphydryas aurinia here on the upperside hind-wing. differentiates them from Boloria, Most* Melitaea do not have this feature. Brenthis and Issoria whichcell have Euphydryas Undersides * See below for species that may confuse.
    [Show full text]
  • National Wetlands Inventory Map Report for Quinault Indian Nation
    National Wetlands Inventory Map Report for Quinault Indian Nation Project ID(s): R01Y19P01: Quinault Indian Nation, fiscal year 2019 Project area The project area (Figure 1) is restricted to the Quinault Indian Nation, bounded by Grays Harbor Co. Jefferson Co. and the Olympic National Park. Appendix A: USGS 7.5-minute Quadrangles: Queets, Salmon River West, Salmon River East, Matheny Ridge, Tunnel Island, O’Took Prairie, Thimble Mountain, Lake Quinault West, Lake Quinault East, Taholah, Shale Slough, Macafee Hill, Stevens Creek, Moclips, Carlisle. • < 0. Figure 1. QIN NWI+ 2019 project area (red outline). Source Imagery: Citation: For all quads listed above: See Appendix A Citation Information: Originator: USDA-FSA-APFO Aerial Photography Field Office Publication Date: 2017 Publication place: Salt Lake City, Utah Title: Digital Orthoimagery Series of Washington Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data Other_Citation_Details: 1-meter and 1-foot, Natural Color and NIR-False Color Collateral Data: . USGS 1:24,000 topographic quadrangles . USGS – NHD – National Hydrography Dataset . USGS Topographic maps, 2013 . QIN LiDAR DEM (3 meter) and synthetic stream layer, 2015 . Previous National Wetlands Inventories for the project area . Soil Surveys, All Hydric Soils: Weyerhaeuser soil survey 1976, NRCS soil survey 2013 . QIN WET tables, field photos, and site descriptions, 2016 to 2019, Janice Martin, and Greg Eide Inventory Method: Wetland identification and interpretation was done “heads-up” using ArcMap versions 10.6.1. US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) mapping contractors in Portland, Oregon completed the original aerial photo interpretation and wetland mapping. Primary authors: Nicholas Jones of SWCA Environmental Consulting. 100% Quality Control (QC) during the NWI mapping was provided by Michael Holscher of SWCA Environmental Consulting.
    [Show full text]
  • A Time-Calibrated Phylogeny of the Butterfly Tribe Melitaeini
    UC Davis UC Davis Previously Published Works Title A time-calibrated phylogeny of the butterfly tribe Melitaeini. Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1h20r22z Journal Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 79(1) ISSN 1055-7903 Authors Long, Elizabeth C Thomson, Robert C Shapiro, Arthur M Publication Date 2014-10-01 DOI 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.06.010 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 79 (2014) 69–81 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev A time-calibrated phylogeny of the butterfly tribe Melitaeini ⇑ Elizabeth C. Long a, , Robert C. Thomson b, Arthur M. Shapiro a a Center for Population Biology and Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA b Department of Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA article info abstract Article history: The butterfly tribe Melitaeini [Nymphalidae] contains numerous species that have been the subjects of a Received 10 March 2014 wide range of biological studies. Despite numerous taxonomic revisions, many of the evolutionary Revised 22 May 2014 relationships within the tribe remain unresolved. Utilizing mitochondrial and nuclear gene regions, we Accepted 11 June 2014 produced a time-calibrated phylogenetic hypothesis for 222 exemplars comprising at least 178 different Available online 18 June 2014 species and 21 of the 22 described genera, making this the most complete phylogeny of the tribe to date. Our results suggest that four well-supported clades corresponding to the subtribes Euphydryina, Keywords: Chlosynina, Melitaeina, and Phyciodina exist within the tribe.
    [Show full text]
  • Host Plants and Habitats of the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly, Euphydryas Phaeton (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in the Great Lakes Region
    The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 24 Number 4 - Winter 1991 Number 4 - Winter Article 1 1991 December 1991 Host Plants and Habitats of the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly, Euphydryas Phaeton (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in the Great Lakes Region Brian G. Scholtens University of Michigan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Scholtens, Brian G. 1991. "Host Plants and Habitats of the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly, Euphydryas Phaeton (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in the Great Lakes Region," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 24 (4) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol24/iss4/1 This Peer-Review Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at [email protected]. Scholtens: Host Plants and Habitats of the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly, 1991 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST 207 HOST PLANTS AND HABITATS OF THE BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT BUTTERFLY, EUPHYDRYAS PHAETON (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE), IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION Brian G. Scholtens 1 ABSTRACT The habitats and host plants of Euphydryas phaeton in the Great Lakes region are examined using data from several different populations spread over much of the region. The range of habitats and host plants used by this species is wider than commonly believed. While many populations are found in seasonal or permanent wetlands, others are located in dry, old fields or woodland areas. The host plants used vary with habitat, but they include all major primary hosts and many second­ ary hosts previously reported plus several new records.
    [Show full text]
  • Oviposition Preference in Taylor's Checkerspot Butterflies (Euphydryas
    OVIPOSITION PREFERENCE IN TAYLOR’S CHECKERSPOT BUTTERFLIES (EUPHYDRYAS EDITHA TAYLORI): COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION WITH INCARCERATED WOMEN by Dennis Aubrey A Thesis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Environmental Studies The Evergreen State College June 2013 ©2013 by Dennis Aubrey. All rights reserved. This Thesis for the Master of Environmental Studies Degree by Dennis Aubrey has been approved for The Evergreen State College By ________________________ Carri J. LeRoy Member of the Faculty ________________________ Date ABSTRACT Oviposition preference in Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies (Euphydryas editha taylori): Collaborative research and conservation with incarcerated women Dennis Aubrey Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori) is a federally threatened pollinator of increasingly rare prairies in the Willamette Valley-Puget Tough-Georgia Basin ecoregion. Since the arrival of European settlers, land use changes, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species have contributed to a decline in available native host plants for E. e. taylori larvae. The most commonly utilized host is now lance-leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), an exotic species long prevalent in the area. None of the known native hosts are ideal for supporting E. e. taylori recovery efforts, so P. lanceolata is currently planted at butterfly reintroduction sites. Golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta), a federally threatened perennial, does not now co-occur with E. e. taylori but may have been an important host historically and could be more suitable than the known native hosts. Previous work has shown that oviposition preference is: 1) heritable and may provide clues as to which hosts were historically important, and 2) is correlated with larval success so might indicate which native hosts would be most effective at restoration sites.
    [Show full text]
  • BRUSH-FOOTED BUTTERFLIES OR FOUR-FOOTED BUTTERFLIES NYMPHALIDAE (RAFINESQUE, 1815) Classification Kingdom
    BRUSH-FOOTED BUTTERFLIES OR FOUR-FOOTED BUTTERFLIES NYMPHALIDAE (RAFINESQUE, 1815) NATURAL HISTORY SUMMARY BY JACOB EGGE, PHD Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Nymphalidae Description The family Nymphalidae includes some 6,000 species of butterflies. Most species in this family have greatly reduced forelegs and stand on only four legs. The vestigial forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs. Antennae always have two grooves on the underside. Many have brightly colored wings with cryptic undersides that help provide camouflage among leaves and brush. Familiar species in the family include the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) and fritillaries (Speyeria and Boloria). Distribution The family Nymphalidae has representative species on all continents except Antarctica, but they are most diverse in the Neotropics (DeVries 1987). Diet Nymphalid caterpillars feed exclusively on plants and many are host specific, while others are generalists. Adults generally feed on nectar from flowers they suck through a proboscis. However, some species feed on sap, fermenting fruit, or dung. (Hadley 2016). Habitat and Ecology Nyphalids inhabit a variety of habitats ranging from tropical rainforests to tundra environments of high elevation summits. Many species of Nymphalid, including the Monarch, have distasteful body fluids that deter predators. These distasteful compounds are derived from the plants they feed on as caterpillars. Most species are diurnal, with a few nocturnal species. Caterpillars are typically found associated with a particular host plant species or group of plants. Plant specializations range broadly across the family and include aster, violet, willow, elm, poplar, nettles, thistle, hackberry, and milkweed (Triplehorn and Johnson 2005). Reproduction and Life Cycle All butterflies undergo complete metamorphosis with both a larval (caterpillar) and pupal stage.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny and Biogeography of Valerianaceae (Dipsacales) with Special Reference to the South American Valerians Charles D.Bell Ã,1, Michael J.Donoghue
    ARTICLE IN PRESS Organisms, Diversity & Evolution 5 (2005) 147–159 www.elsevier.de/ode Phylogeny and biogeography of Valerianaceae (Dipsacales) with special reference to the South American valerians Charles D.Bell Ã,1, Michael J.Donoghue Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 065211, USA Received 22 April 2004; accepted 26 October 2004 Abstract Species of Valerianaceae are a common component of the alpine flora throughout the Northern Hemisphere as well as the Andes of South America.Sequence data from three chloroplast markers ( psbA-trnH intron, trnK-matK intron, and the trnL-F region) along with the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA were used to infer relationships within Valerianaceae.Both genomes, as well as a combined data set, provide support for the major clades within the group and do not support a monophyletic Valeriana.In addition, these data indicate that Plectritis is nested within South American Valeriana, as opposed to being sister to Centhranthus as previously hypothesized. Valerianaceae appear to have originated in Asia, probably in the Himalayas, and subsequently to have dispersed several times to Europe and to the New World.Our results imply that Valerianaceae colonized South America on multiple occasions from the north.In one of these cases there appears to have been a substantial and rapid radiation, primarily in the high elevation paramo habitat.A variety of methods were used to estimate divergence times to determine when Valerianaceae might have colonized South America.Regardless of the method and fossil constraints applied, our estimates suggest that Valerianaceae colonized South America prior to the formation of the Isthmus of Panama.
    [Show full text]
  • Arizona Wildlife Notebook
    ARIZONA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ARIZONA WILDLIFE NOTEBOOK GARRY ROGERS Praise for Arizona Wildlife Notebook “Arizona Wildlife Notebook” by Garry Rogers is a comprehensive checklist of wildlife species existing in the State of Arizona. This notebook provides a brief description for each of eleven (11) groups of wildlife, conservation status of all extant species within that group in Arizona, alphabetical listing of species by common name, scientific names, and room for notes. “The Notebook is a statewide checklist, intended for use by wildlife watchers all over the state. As various individuals keep track of their personal observations of wildlife in their specific locality, the result will be a more selective checklist specific to that locale. Such information would be vitally useful to the State Wildlife Conservation Department, as well as to other local agencies and private wildlife watching groups. “This is a very well-documented snapshot of the status of wildlife species – from bugs to bats – in the State of Arizona. Much of it should be relevant to neighboring states, as well, with a bit of fine-tuning to accommodate additions and deletions to the list. “As a retired Wildlife Biologist, I have to say Rogers’ book is perhaps the simplest to understand, yet most comprehensive in terms of factual information, that I have ever had occasion to peruse. This book should become the default checklist for Arizona’s various state, federal and local conservation agencies, and the basis for developing accurate local inventories by private enthusiasts as well as public agencies. "Arizona Wildlife Notebook" provides a superb starting point for neighboring states who may wish to emulate Garry Rogers’ excellent handiwork.
    [Show full text]
  • Papilio (New Series) # 25 2016 Issn 2372-9449
    PAPILIO (NEW SERIES) # 25 2016 ISSN 2372-9449 ERNEST J. OSLAR, 1858-1944: HIS TRAVEL AND COLLECTION ITINERARY, AND HIS BUTTERFLIES by James A. Scott, Ph.D. in entomology University of California Berkeley, 1972 (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract. Ernest John Oslar collected more than 50,000 butterflies and moths and other insects and sold them to many taxonomists and museums throughout the world. This paper attempts to determine his travels in America to collect those specimens, by using data from labeled specimens (most in his remaining collection but some from published papers) plus information from correspondence etc. and a few small field diaries preserved by his descendants. The butterfly specimens and their localities/dates in his collection in the C. P. Gillette Museum (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado) are detailed. This information will help determine the possible collection locations of Oslar specimens that lack accurate collection data. Many more biographical details of Oslar are revealed, and the 26 insects named for Oslar are detailed. Introduction The last collection of Ernest J. Oslar, ~2159 papered butterfly specimens and several moths, was found in the C. P. Gillette Museum, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado by Paul A. Opler, providing the opportunity to study his travels and collections. Scott & Fisher (2014) documented specimens sent by Ernest J. Oslar of about 100 Argynnis (Speyeria) nokomis nokomis Edwards labeled from the San Juan Mts. and Hall Valley of Colorado, which were collected by Wilmatte Cockerell at Beulah New Mexico, and documented Oslar’s specimens of Oeneis alberta oslari Skinner labeled from Deer Creek Canyon, [Jefferson County] Colorado, September 25, 1909, which were collected in South Park, Park Co.
    [Show full text]