Miami Blues

[Paul Cherubini]

On Jan 24 this year Alex Grkovich wrote the following with
regard to the Miami Blue:

"Well, I was literally tripping all over them last weekend on 
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands."
http://www.saber.net/~monarch/virgin.jpg

A question I have is whether or not the Miami Blue that
is abundant in the Caribbean is genetically distinct (to more
than a trivial degree) from the Miami Blue that is found in
the Florida Keys?  If not, then maybe the Key's population
does not warrant endangered species status protection.    

A couple years ago geneticist Bruce Walsh seemed to
have made this point in regard to the Palos Verdes Blue
here in California.
------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Bruce Walsh (jbwalsh at u.arizona.edu)
Subject: RE: Help for the world's rarest butterfly 
Newsgroups: sci.bio.entomology.lepidoptera
Date: 2000/07/29 

On the science side,  my concern is whether the Palos
Verde Blue is a distinct enough population to warrant 
protection.  The rumor I had heard for years was that 
it was named more to protect a population than because 
it was really that distinct --- other populations showing 
more signals of divergence would not have been named. 

Obviously, this is a touchy issue,  and there are no real 
hard and fast rules about this (although one can use 
population genetics theory to suggest some guidelines --- 
for example, populations whose within-population coalescent 
times are shorter than the between-population times are 
at least somewhat genetically distinct).

Peace
Bruce

 
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