Problema

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message -----
From: <herschel.raney at conwaycorp.net>
To: "John Shuey" <jshuey at tnc.org>
Cc: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>; "ehaley" <ehaley at BLUE.WEEG.UIOWA.EDU>;
"Michael Warriner" <MichaelW at arkansasheritage.org>; "Don Simons"
<mutantnnn at hotmail.com>; "Lori Spencer" <spencer_lori at hotmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 12, 2001 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: Problema


> Problema - It really sounds like your females are really males.
> If so, then no problema.  If they are indeed females, then the
> behavior is indeed perplexing.
>
> John
>
>
> Well, I had decided that these must be male Problemas by
> behavior. And then this would mean that Glassberg's photos for the
> Byssus were, well, misleading.

True


But looking again just to make
> absolutely sure, I have now discovered that the photos in
> Glassberg for the Florida form of the Byssus are very different from
> the shots for the western form. The difficulty was, I suppose, that I
> am in Arkansas and had presumed that though my county is
> completely out of Glassberg's range for any of the byssus forms we

There are no byssus "forms". There are two extremely evolutionally distinct
and of equal rank subspecies - byssus byssus and byssus kumskaka. There is
absolutely nothing sub (less) about subspecies. The only reason it is
called byssus skipper (Bunchgrass Skipper) is because humans discovered
this first and not the prairie segregate - otherwise we would be calling it
the kumskaka skipper or (Prairie Golden Skipper) The biogeographical area
you are in is part of the "eastern" fauna.

The Cypress, diana, byssus etc. are all indicators of your eastern fauna.
The key lies in the geological history of the Ozark Plateau and surrounding
region. You sound like a serious "student" of nature. Thus, I return to my
previous suggestion that you get some books written by "lepidopterists" who
also have a more in depth approach.

> would more likely have the western form and not the Atlantic coast
> form in our little satellite. Since the photos I took look exactly like
> the males of the Florida form and their behavior is male-ish I am
> concluding that in the middle of Arkansas, near a Cypress Swamp
> we have been blessed with a subpopulation of the Eastern form of
> Problema byssus. And thus they are all males. Meaning that I have
> seen all males except for one and when I saw her, I didn't know
> what she was. I now see she is an Eastern form byssus female.
>

I am always available to help anyone with North American butterfly &
skipper IDs as long as the load is not too heavy.  By the way, your S.
diana discovery is VERY exciting - multi congratulations.

My very best to you.
Ron
http://tils-ttr.org


 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl