United States Department of the Interior

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Alaska Peninsula/Becharof NWR P.O. Box 277 King Salmon, AK 99613 (907) 246-3339 (voice) (907) 246-6696 (fax)

October 6, 2009

To: Files

From: Wildlife Biologist Savage

Subject: Insect Collections - 2009

Background The Refuge began limited invertebrate collections independently and in conjunction with other statewide projects (Eyster & Sesser, 2005) in 2004. From 2005 - 2007 local volunteers continued collecting primarily Lepidoptera (see memos to files, September 2005, November 2006, and December 2007). Most of the collections were sent to experts in the respective invertebrate community1 to confirm identifications and for curation. In 2009 Richard Russell (local naturalist and retired Alaska Department of Fish and Game Fishery Biologist) and Rod Cyr (local naturalist) offered to continue collecting Lepidoptera in the Bristol Bay Borough.

This year also saw benchmarks on other invertebrate projects that began in 2007. Savage had developed a contract with University of Alaska Museum curator Dr. Sikes to identify terrestrial invertebrates collected on pilot inventory and monitoring plots in pit fall traps in 2007. Two spread sheets with interim results were received in September. Savage had also developed a contract with Nora Foster to identify aquatic invertebrates collected by Intern Milet (locations included King Salmon/Naknek road corridor, at shorebird plots between Port Heiden and Port Moller, and at some of the I&M plots). A final report was received from Foster on the identifications in March. We are still awaiting final curation of these specimens into the UAF collection.

Methods During 2009, Lepidoptera in the Bristol Bay Borough were collected according to protocols developed in 2004 and clarified over the winter of 2005 (USFWS 2005). Volunteers sometimes collected opportunistic and sometimes went on outings specifically to look for Lepidoptera. Notes were kept on the standard invertebrate datasheets which were turned into Refuge staff and entered in the Excel spread sheet on Savage’s computer (my documents/BIOARCHIVE/

1 Dragonflies and Damselflies were sent to John Hudson and Lepidoptera were sent to Kenelm Phillip Invertebrates/2009/AKPB_Insect_Data_thru_2009.xls). In early October, 125 specimens were sent to Dr. Philip.

Results & Discussion Lepidoptera were collected from 1 May 2009 until 11 July 2009. All specimens were collected in the Bristol Bay Borough from Naknek to Lake Camp and north along the King Salmon Creek Trail to mile 12.5 (Figure 1). Volunteers preliminarily identified butterflies as they were collected. A total of 125 Lepidoptera were collected in 2009: 103 butterflies and 22 moths (Table 1). We are still awaiting confirmation of some specimens from 2004 – 2007. At least 16 species of butterfly were preliminarily identified. This year preliminary field identification by Russell, Cyr and Savage indicate the addition to our previous species list of White-veined Arctic (Oeneis bore), Dorcas Copper (Lycaena dorcas), and Chryxus Arctic (Oeneis chryxus). Previous field identifications of White-veined Arctic were later changed to Polixenes Arctic by Philip. We collected 26 other specimens with preliminary ID to the Polixenes/Philip Arctic (Oeneis polixenes/O. philipi) group (difficult to separate, only one species being collected in odd years). Several large, colorful moths were collected this year that had not been noted in the past.

Literature Cited Eyster, J.A. and K.A. Sesser. 2005. Invertebrate Inventory of the Alaska Peninsula: A Progress Report for 2004. US Fish and Wildlife Service, King Salmon. (Unpublished) 9pp.

US Fish & Wildlife Service. 2005. Memo to File, September 23, 2005. Insect Collections – 2005.

US Fish & Wildlife Service. 2005. Supporting Protocol for WIP: Methods for Insect Collection. Alaska Peninsula / Becharof NWR, King Salmon, AK (Unpublished).

US Fish & Wildlife Service. 2006. Memo to File, November 1, 2006. Insect Collections – 2006.

US Fish & Wildlife Service. 2007. Memo to File, December 17, 2007. Insect Collections – 2007.

Table 1. Preliminary Identification of Lepidoptera Collections, Bristol Bay Borough & vicinity - 2009.

Common Name Scientific Name Num. Collected Butterflies Total 103 Old World Swallowtail Papilio machaon 1 Marginated White Pieris marginalis 4 Clouded Sulphur Colias philodice 3 Giant Sulphur Colias gigantea 1 Palaeno Sulphur Colias palaeno 2 Dorcas Copper Lycaena dorcas 3 Cranberry Blue Vacciniina optilete 4 Frigga Fritillary Boloria frigga 2 Freija Fritillary Boloria freija 10 Common/Kodiak Ringlet Coenonympha tullia 3 Disa Alpine Erebia disa 10 White-veined Arctic Oeneis bore 4 Jutta Arctic Oeneis jutta 21 Polixenes Arctic Oeneis polixenes/philipi 26 Arctic Skipper Carterocephalus palaemon 7 Chryxus Arctic Oeneis chryxus 1 Arctic - Unknown Oeneis spp. 1

Moths Total 22 UNKNOWN 22