Volume 52, Number 3 Autumn 2010 Inside: Strymon serapio, new for the U.S. Conservation Matters: More on Butterfly Releases: Another View Theodore L. Mead’s Journal of 1871 Diurnal Gregarious Roosting of Smyrna blomfildia Flying High: An Adventure in the Alpine Tundra of Colorado Call for Season Summary Records Membership Update, Metamorphosis, Marketplace… …and more! Contents Strymon serapio new for the U.S. (Lycaenidae: Theclinae) Volume 52, Number 3 Michael A. Rickard and Nick V. Grishin. ...................................................... 79 Autumn 2010 The Discovery of Theodore L. Mead’s Journal of 1871 The Lepidopterists’ Society is a non-profit John V. Calhoun. ............................................................................................. 85 educational and scientific organization. The Conservation Matters: More on Butterfly Releases object of the Society, which was formed in David Wagner, Felix Sperling and Bruce Walsh. .......................................... 87 May 1947 and formally constituted in De- Call for Season Summary Records cember 1950, is “to promote internationally Leroy C. Koehn. ............................................................................................... 89 the science of lepidopterology in all its The Mailbag......................................................................................................... 89 branches; to further the scientifically sound Flying High: An Adventure in the Alpine Tundra of Colorado and progressive study of Lepidoptera, to is- Gary Noel Ross. ............................................................................................... 90 sue periodicals and other publications on Membership Update and Metamorphosis Lepidoptera; to facilitate the exchange of Julian Donahue . .............................................................................................. 93 specimens and ideas by both the professional The Marketplace. ............................................................................................... 94 worker and the amateur in the field; to com- pile and distribute information to other or- Observations of Diurnal Gregarious Roosting in the Butterfly ganizations and individuals for purposes of Smyrna blomfildia Fabricius (Nymphalinae) in Western Mexico education and conservation and appreciation Gerald A. Einem and William Adkins . .......................................................... 96 of Lepidoptera; and to secure cooperation in Membership Information, Dues Rates, Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, all measures” directed towards these aims. Change of Address, Our Mailing List, Missed or Defective Issue, Book (Article II, Constitution of The Lepidopter- Reviews, Submission Guidelines for the News.......................................... 102 ists’ Society.) Executive Council/Season Summary Zone Coordinators. ................. 103 The News of the Lepidopterists’ Society (ISSN 0091-1348) is published quarterly by Issue Date: October 31, 2010 ISSN 0091-1348 The Lepidopterists’ Society, c/o Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, 900 Ex- position Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007-4057, USA., and includes one or two supplements each year. The Season Summary is pub- lished every year as Supplement S1 and is mailed with issue 1 of the News. In even num- bered years a complete Membership Direc- tory is published as Supplement S2 and is mailed with issue 4 of that volume of the News. Please see the inside back cover for in- structions regarding subscriptions, submis- sions to, and deadline dates for, the News. Periodicals Postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and at additional mailing office (Lawrence, KS). POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to News of the Lepidopterists’ Society, c/o Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007-4057. Copyright © 2010 by The Lepidopteris ts’ Society. All rights reserved. The statements of contributors do not necessarily represent Front Cover: the views of the Society or the editor and the Society does not warrant or endorse prod- Strymon serapio, male, Texas: Hidalgo Co. Estero Llano Grande State Park, 19- ucts or services of advertisers. December-2008, first US record. Photo by Michael A. Rickard. Autumn 2010 News of the Lepidopterists’ Society Strymon serapio new for the U.S. (Lycaenidae: Theclinae) Michael A. Rickard1 and Nick V. Grishin2 411 Virgo Street, Mission, TX 78572 [email protected] Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX 75390-9050 [email protected] Larval feeding on the pineapple plant Blue Boneset (Eupatorium azureum of S. serapio and S. megarus (Plate 1, family (Bromeliaceae) is not very DC.). It was immediately clear that this Figs 1-12). In addition to various levels common among butterflies. However, was a probable new species for the US. of violet-blue overscaling on the dorsal there is one group that uses these plants After the group of 10-12 people had wing surface of males and Bromeliaceae exclusively (Robbins 2010). Species of photographed the butterfly extensively as caterpillar hosts, these hairstreaks the serapio group Robbins & Nicolay, for some 20 minutes, Rickard gently are unified by two cornuti in the penis 2002 from Strymon Hübner, 1818 prodded it with a stem and it flew to a tip, paired in S. serapio group species (Lycaenidae: Theclinae) have been leaf and proceeded to bask, allowing a (Plate 2, Fig. 1d) and unpaired in S. recorded only from Bromeliads (Robbins number of additional photographs of ziba (Plate 2, Fig. 3d) (Robbins & & Nicolay 2002). In addition, Strymon the upperside. Eventually, Nicolay, 2002). ziba (Hewitson, 1868), while being approximately half an hour after first The S. ziba group is very unusual, as polyphagous, utilizes Bromeliaceae as sighting, the insect flew up into trees it is the only Strymon that lacks major hosts (Harris 1927, Robbins & lining the walkway. Permit restrictions prominently developed anteriorly Aiello 1982). Both S. serapio and S. prohibit collecting in the butterfly directed teeth on the posterior dorsal ziba group species (Robbins & Nicolay gardens (especially during a butterfly surface of male genitalic valvae (Plate 2002) are at times serious commercial walk), and senior staff was unavailable 2, Figs. 1-3), a character used to define pineapple pests (Harris 1927, Carter to grant an override. Thus the Strymon by Robbins & Nicolay (2002). 1934, Silva et al. 1967-1968, butterfly could not be collected, and Also, S. ziba females lack the sclerotized Beutelspacher 1972, Otero & Marigo subsequent visits by various observers loop (Plate 2, Fig. 4) on the ductus 1990). Sixteen species are recognized have failed to turn up additional bursae, but the posterior end of the by Robbins (2004) among Bromeliad- individuals. Initial identification was corpus bursae is expanded and feeding Strymon (serapio and ziba made by comparison with live S. serapio prominently sclerotized, forming a very species groups). This latest taxonomic photographs on the Internet. To date characteristic structure termed “hood” arrangement covers 58 names, 42 of no probable hostplant has been found by Johnson et al. (1990) (Plate 2, Fig. which are included as subspecies and in the immediate area where the 5). Nevertheless, wing pattern of S. synonyms. Bromeliad-feeding Strymon individual was seen, but areas that ziba is very similar to S. megarus (Plate are mostly South-American with just could contain 1-3 species of Spanish 1, compare Fig 7 with 9-12) and some three species on the Robbins list (2004) Mosses (Tillandsia L.) have yet to be specimens are very difficult to separate being recorded from northern Mexico, fully searched, along with nearby by superficial characters (Robbins e.g. all three are known from habitat containing exotic plants. 2010). The field-marks that we find Tamaulipas, south of Ciudad Victoria Taxonomy of the Bromeliad-feeding helpful (but possibly not absolute) are: (Plate 1). Strymon is not yet settled and is 1) S. ziba lacks dark or orange scales Here, we document the first occurrence expected to be quite complex. According on the underside at the distal end of the of Strymon serapio (Godman & Salvin, to Robbins (2004), 3 species recognized hindwing discal cell (Glassberg 2007). 1887) from the United States. A single from Northern Mexico are: Strymon The end of the cell is marked by white male individual was photographed by serapio, S. megarus (Godart, [1824]) scales that form a bar along the vein the senior author on December 19, 2008 and S. ziba. A S. megarus relative has (Plate 1, Fig 7v). S. megarus has gray, in the butterfly garden at Estero Llano been recorded from the Big Bend dark or orange scaling in the end-of-cell Grande State Park (USA: TEXAS: National Park area (USA: TEXAS: bar (Plate 1, Figs 9v-12v). This is the Hidalgo Co.). The senior author, a Brewster and Presidio Counties), listed most reliable mark, although more Texas Parks and Wildlife volunteer under “S. serapio” in Pelham (2008), research is necessary to find possible naturalist, was assisting with the species #493. Here, we illustrate male exceptions. regular Friday butterfly walk when he specimens of these species from North observed the individual nectaring on American countries, and primary types 2) Blue overscaling on the dorsal wing Volume 52, Number 3 79 News of the Lepidopterists’ Society Volume 52, Number 3 11 2 1 4 B 4 3 2C 80 Autumn 2010 Autumn 2010