DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE & SCIENCE OF NATURE DENVER MUSEUM NUMBER 16, OCTOBER 11, 2019 SCIENCE.DMNS.ORG/MUSEUM-PUBLICATIONS Denver Museum of Nature & Science Reports 2001 Colorado Boulevard (Print) ISSN 2374-7730 Denver, CO 80205, U.S.A. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Reports (Online) ISSN 2374-7749 REPORTS • NUMBER 16 • OCTOBER 11, 2019 • NUMBER 16 OCTOBER Cover photo: Oreas Anglewing (Polygonia oreas nigrozephyrus Scott, 1984), Gregory Canyon, Boulder County, Colorado, USA, 2 October 1973, leg. Michael G. Pogue. Photo: Bob Livingston. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science Reports (ISSN Frank Krell, PhD, Editor and Production 2374-7730 [print], ISSN 2374-7749 [online]) is an open- access, non peer-reviewed scientifi c journal publishing papers about DMNS research, collections, or other Program and Abstracts Museum related topics, generally authored or co-authored 30th Annual Meeting by Museum staff or associates. Peer review will only be arranged on request of the authors. of the High Country Lepidopterists October 11–12, 2019 The journal is available online at science.dmns.org/ Museum-Publications free of charge. Paper copies Denver Museum of Nature & Science are available for purchase from our print-on-demand publisher Lulu (www.lulu.com). DMNS owns the copyright of the works published in the Reports, which are Frank-Thorsten Krell (Ed.) published under the Creative Commons Attribution Non- Commercial license. For commercial use of published material contact the Alfred M. Bailey Library & Archives at [email protected]. SCIENCE.DMNS.ORG/MUSEUM-PUBLICATIONS DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS NUMBER 16, OCTOBER 11, 2019 Program and Abstracts 30th Annual Meeting of the High Country Lepidopterists October 11–12, 2019, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Edited by CONTENTS Frank-Thorsten Krell1 Program 2 Abstracts 3 30 Years High Country Lepidopterists’ Meetings 13 1Department of Zoology Denver Museum of Nature & Science 2001 Colorado Boulevard Denver, Colorado 80205 U.S.A. [email protected] Krell PROGRAM Friday, October 11 Potluck dinner and light trapping at the home of Frank Krell, 38750 E 145th Avenue, Keenesburg, CO 80643 (Cavanaugh Hills, east of Brighton): 39°57’29”N,104°32‘03“W. Home phone: 303.659.6432 Saturday, October 12 9:30am–11:30am: Open House of the Entomology Collection at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Avenir Collection Center, level B2) 11:30am–12:10pm: Lunch (provided) (Studios 102/103, first floor, West Atrium) 12:10pm–4:30pm: Contributed talks (Studios 102/103, first floor, West Atrium) 12:10pm–12:15pm: Frank Krell: Welcome and Introduction 12:15pm–12:35pm: Erin Barbeau: Regurgitation as a Defense in White Peacock Caterpillars (Anartia jatrophae) 12:35pm–12:55pm: Dhaval Vyas, Erica Larson & Shannon Murphy: The Community of Parasitic Insects Attacking the Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea) in Colorado 12:55pm–1:15pm: Megan Zabinski: Population Variation in Defense of a Widespread North American Butterfly 1:15pm–1:35pm: Sam Johnson: Response of Moth Communities to Thinning of a Montane Forest 1:35pm–1:45pm Break 1:45pm–1:50pm: Donald Bowman: Records of Alexicles aspersa, Thysania zenobia, and Proserpinus flavofasciata in Colorado (Erebidae, Sphingidae) 1:50pm–2:10pm: Kristina Guarriello: Spatial Analysis of Butterflies on Colorado’s Front Range: a Closer Look at Species Distribution, Diversity, and Population Density 2:10pm–2:30pm: Christian Nunes: Compilation of a Complete List of Butterfly Occurrences on City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Properties 2:30pm–2:50pm: Janet Chu: An Anthology of Images; and a Note about Trends in Boulder County Open Spaces 2:50pm–3:10pm: Break; Group Photo 3:10pm–3:30pm: Eric Knutsen & Frank-T. Krell: The Denver Museum of Nature & Science as Part of LepNet: Distribution Patterns of Select Lepidoptera Families in the Colorado Region 3:30pm–3:50pm: Chuck Harp: LepNet: a National Project to Digitize and Image Lepido- ptera with Updates on Contributions from the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity in its Fourth Year 3:50pm–4:10pm: Paul A. Opler & Nick Grishin: Current Endemic Butterfly Species of the Californian Region, and Suggested Additions 4:10pm–4:30pm: Pam Piombino: Lepidoptera of Thailand: More Questions Than Answers 4:30pm–5:00pm: Business meeting 5:30pm–7:00pm: Dinner (at nearby restaurant) if there is interest 2 DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS | No. 16, October 11, 2019 30th Annual Meeting of the High Country Lepidopterists Records of Alexicles aspersa, Thysania zenobia, and Proserpinus flavofasciata in ABSTRACTS Colorado (Erebidae, Sphingidae) Donald Bowman Regurgitation as a Defense in White 5854 S Taft Court, Littleton, Colorado 80127 Peacock Caterpillars (Anartia jatrophae) [email protected] Erin Barbeau Some years ago I found a wooly bear larva on Solomon’s University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, Colorado Seal in lower Golden Gate Canyon (Jefferson County, 80309 Colorado). I took it and some of the plant home but [email protected] it failed to feed and died. I pinned it and labeled it. It was a black wooly bear with a red-orange saddle. Years Insects use a variety of defenses to ward off preda- later I had a visit from David Wagner who showed me tors which range from chemical and morphological, a picture of a larva that matched the one I had taken to behavioral defenses. Several groups of insects use previously. He told me someone had found the larva and regurgitation as a defense against predators. The had given it to him. The larva pupated and an Alexicles regurgitant may contain noxious chemicals or act as a aspersa Grote, 1883 (Erebidae) emerged. The date I took surfactant interfering with predator sensory organs or the larva in Golden Gate Canyon is June 2, 1992. This entangling limbs. Regurgitation has been recorded as indicates to me that this species has been a native here a larval defense of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). for some time and not just a recent range extension. It has been shown through several studies to be an Two other records taken by me may be of interest effective defense against a wide variety of predators. are: Thysania zenobia Cramer, 1777 (Erebidae), August Regurgitation is often accompanied by other defensive 7, 1967, from Golden (Jefferson County, Colorado), West behaviors due to its potentially costly nature. One 7th Avenue and Eldridge Street, probably a first, and Lepidoptera species which has demonstrated regur- Proserpinus flavofasciata (Walker, 1856) (Sphingidae), gitation is the White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae, June 14, 1986, from Winter Park (Grand County, Colo- Nymphalidae). This species is widespread throughout rado) I believe is a second State record. the New World tropics in wet habitats. It uses a variety of host plants including Water Hyssop (Bacopa mon- nieri) and more recently recorded, the introduced weed An Anthology of Images; and a Note about Narrow Leaf Plantain (Plantago lanceolata). Narrow Trends in Boulder County Open Spaces Leaf Plantain contains iridoid gylcosides which are sequestered by several butterfly species including the Janet Chu White Peacock; however Water Hyssop does not contain 964 Ravenwood Road, Boulder, Colorado 80303 these compounds. The caterpillars of the White Peacock [email protected] has been not well studied. I propose to address several questions about regurgitation as a defense of White Photography may become the future proof of identifica- Peacock caterpillars: 1) What behaviors are associated tion and sighting of butterflies. Will there be a good way with regurgitation? 2) How does regurgitation behav- to curate these images? ior varies across instars and host plants? 3) How does The long season in Boulder County began March regurgitation affect development of caterpillars? 28 and continued into late September for our team. Butterflies species were photographed extensively DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE REPORTS | No. 16, October 11, 2019 3 Krell during 2019 by several enthusiasts. More than 110 LepNet: a National Project to Digitize and species of the county-listed 200 are recorded. These Image Lepidoptera with Updates on Con- images will include the sighting location, date, name tributions from the C.P. Gillette Museum of and photographer. These photos are often proof that Arthropod Diversity in its Fourth Year unusual and difficult-to-‘ID’ butterflies were actually sighted. In addition, images are utilized to compare Chuck Harp male and female, as well as to record behaviors. Research Associate, C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Several websites are actively seeking photographs Diversity, Hartshorn, 600 Hughes Way, Ft. Collins, of butterflies; i.e., coloradofrontrangebutterflies.com, Colorado 80523 butterfliesofamerica.com, and butterfliesandmoths.org [email protected] The question will be answered for 2019: “Has the sloping downward trend of numbers of individual In the early summer of 2016, the Gillette Museum was butterflies continued as was occurring in the past awarded a four-year National Science Foundation Grant years, 2004–2018, in Boulder County Open Space to participate in the LepNet Project. With 27 institutions properties?” In 2018 the trend revealed a loss of 1.3 participating in the project, CSU’s Gillette Museum will Individuals per Research Hour per Year. This is equiv- database 156,000 butterflies and moths from its holdings alent to the substantial decrease of 3% a year as stated and will photograph nearly 11,000 of these specimens in this author’s research. using a state-of-the-art digital camera system, capable of producing stacked images for high-resolution pho- tographs. This presentation will give an update on our Spatial Analysis of Butterflies on Colorado’s progress for this project now in its final year. We will also Front Range: a Closer Look at Species Distri- highlight recent donations to the museum that have bution, Diversity, and Population Density greatly aided in our success for this project.