Speyeria idalia (was: Importing farm-raised butterflies?)

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Shuey" <jshuey at tnc.org>
To: <sebrez at webtv.net>; <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2001 7:27 AM
Subject: Speyeria idalia (was: Importing farm-raised butterflies?)


> A fair number of state and private organizations are working on S idalia
and
> related issues.  The bottom line is that there are much better things you
> can do than raise and release the butterflies.  Having no clue where you
> live - here are some options.
>
> In Iowa,  - DNR and TNC both need help managing prairies which support
this
> species.  The Loess Hills support numerous populations, but past fire
> suppression has allows many of the prairie to become "shrubbed" over.
> Volunteer your services to help cut juniper of these habitats.
>
> Iowa also has the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, a prairie
restoration
> which doesn't support regals (yet) but really wants to have them.  Call
and
> see what you can do.
>
> Missouri and Illinois has the same issues as Iowa - call DNR or TNC to
see
> if you can help manage habitat.
>
> Indiana TNC is working on a major restoration that wraps around the only
> known site for the regal in the state.  One of the project milestones
will
> be coaxing S idalia out to the restoration to breed (it already uses it
for
> nectar).  This will require planting hundreds of  thousands of violets
over
> the next few years.  We need help.
>
> Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma have great prairies in the Flint Hills and
> Sand Hills regions that support great populations of the butterfly - If
> you're in one of these states, volunteer your services to improve
habitat.
>
> And Pennsylvania has a lone population on a military facility - contact
TNC
> to see if you can help (you may not be able to volunteer on the base).
>
> John Shuey
>
>
> John A. Shuey
> Director of Conservation Science
> Indiana Office of The Nature Conservancy
> 1505 N Delaware Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202
> 317.951.8818
>

And for anyone who lives in the southern Appalachians make a conserted
effort to rediscover it there.   Private citizens often have much better
luck talking local farmers into letting them on their property than
wildlife "officials".  I believe if I had the time I could locate it is
western NC.  Just too many places a small colony can be hiding.  I'd look
for old farm areas or fairly open areas with the very large (old) Bird's
Foot Violet plants in the ground cover.

Taxonomically some have suggested that the PA (eastern US) and western
segregates are two subspecies.  The persons who contacted me were looking
to describe the eastern form.  I pointed out to them (both people who
contacted me)  that the eastern US idalia are the nominate subspecies as
the type locality is NY.  If anything was to be given a name it would have
to be the well known western populations.

Too many subspecies have been described just on the basis of how they look
alone.  Evolutionary and biogeographic factors are very important and often
neglected factors in taxonomic study.  I still laugh to myself when I see
some of the stuff the lumper lists have as subspecies -- based totally on
how a couple populations look to the human eye.  These entities are
ecologically identical and differ in only one aspect, how they look.  Yet
other taxa that may look (to us) much the same but fly in different
habitats, at different times of year, and feed on different hosts - in
other words that have vastly different and divergent evolutional,
ecological and biogeographic origins -- are totally overlooked and never
mentioned.  That is why I chuckle - their listings are totally based on
human vision and totally non scientific.

I have said that to say this.  IF _ there are indeed some minor color and
spot differences between eastern and western populations, the first thing
that NEEDS to be looked at is what is their origin in time and space.  1)
Did the eastern pops get there after the Wisconsin glacial maxima (15,000
+/-) years ago from western US stock or 2) Are they descendants from the
Wisconsin era refugium in the southern US (current Sandhills area of GA or
the Fla) that then moved north.  If the latter, then the eastern and
western populations (regardless of present colony proximity) are separated
by thousands of miles and years in evolutional origin.

Now, even the PA pops may be of western origin whereas the NY extinct pops
could have been from the south.  On way of determining this is....

(This post has gotten long and there is much more to it.  I am just going
to leave it at this here as my main point was to just encourage folks in
the Apps. to look for idalia there.   BUT - I am going to post the entire
message on the TLS-leps-talk list serve
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TILS-leps-talk.   Those who are interested in
details can read it there.

Ron Gatrelle
TILS president
Charleston, SC - USA
http://www.tils-ttr.org




 
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