Oeneis oddity

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

Burdick, W.N. 1957. A new race of Oeneis chryxus from the Olympic Mountains
of Washington (Satyridae).  The Lepidopterists' News 11:22-26.

Burdick described the new taxon valerata from butterflies that fly at high
elevation above treeline on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State and
references similar butterflies having been found on nearby Vancouver Island,
British Columbia.  He states that these butterflies are "substantially
different" from O. chryxus.  He goes on to describe no less than 6 points of
distinction in the appearance of the adult males and 4 points of distinction
in the females as compared to chryxus.  He also points out 4 structural
differences in the male genitalia between valerata and chryxus.  In looking
at the genitalia illustration; I see yet another point of distinction from
chryxus.  Burdick does not explain why he described valerata as a subspecies
of chryxus.  Given the very substantial phenotypic and structural
differences; the ecological differences in comparison to chryxus; lack of
gene exchange with the allopatric chryxus populations for at least thousands
of years; the logical conclusion would be to treat valerata as a distinct
species.  

I welcome explanation of why this butterfly should be treated as a ssp of
chryxus.  There appears to be zero evidence to support that view.  Images
are available at http://norbert.eboard.com


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Norbert Kondla  P.Biol., RPBio.
Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management
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


 
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