Lycaena phlaeas

[Chris J. Durden]

Populations I have seen in Quebec (Gatineau Co.) and Ontario (Nipissing
Dist.) have the darker and brassier "western look" that I have seen in
Montana populations. I have not seen this "western look" in populations in
eastern MA, CT, NJ, NC.
  I think *Vulpes vulpes*- the red fox, may be an analogous model for the
native and non-native subspecies of *L. phlaeas* in North America. For the
fox there are native subspecies in the north and west, but European stock
was introduced in Virginia in colonial days for "The Hunt" and has spread
throughout the eastern US and across the south.
  One thing to look at with *L. phlaeas* is the possibility of a very early
Norse introduction at L'Anse au Meadows, Nfld. The eastern US material I
have seen looks more like Scandinavian and northern European material. It
never has the almost-tailed "mediterranean look" that is expressed in
summer adults in southern Europe, north to Germany and southern England.
Hibernating eggs, larvae or pupae could have been transported accidentally
in hay along with shipment of livestock. The same is also a possibility for
*Coenonympha tullia* complex - Compare "the large heath" - *C. tullia
inornata* with *C. tullia scotica*. 
  Check out the listing by d'Urban for *L. americana* from Hamiltons' Farm
on Riviere Rouge, Quebec to see if this constitutes a valid publication. It
appeared in the "Canadian Field Natiralist & Geologist" some months before
Harris' description in 1862.
  I have seen no specimens of *L. phlaeas* from Newfoundland, Labrador or
North Shore Quebec.
.........Chris Durden
 

At 10:30  28/01/00 -0800, you wrote:
>Lycaena phlaeas - common name something or other copper :-) - is a widely
>distributed butterfly in eastern North America.  Besides the interesting
>issue of whether or not it is conspecific with European phlaeas there is the
>interesting issue of whether or not the eastern NA populations are a result
>of introduction by humans.  I have seen literature that makes this assertion
>and I have also seen literature that questions this assertion. Question:
>Does anyone know of any supporting information for the "introduced phlaeas"
>idea ???
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Norbert Kondla  P.Biol., RPBio.
>Forest Ecosystem Specialist, Ministry of Environment
>845 Columbia Avenue, Castlegar, British Columbia V1N 1H3
>Phone 250-365-8610
>Mailto:Norbert.Kondla at gems3.gov.bc.ca
>http://www.env.gov.bc.ca
>
>