Erynnis maritalis in Florida - old news

[Ron Gatrelle]

I was surprised when opening my Lep. Soc. News today to find an article by
John Calhoun stating that he had finally "confirmed" Erynnis martialis in
Florida.  Too bad John didn't ask me about this.  If he had, I would have
told him that I took martialis on a regular basis when I lived in Pensacola
(Warrington), Florida in 1969 and 1970.  Briefly checking the collection, my
earliest male from there is labeled  May 3, 1969, Cantonment, Escambia Co.
I don't have the Season Summary for back then but if I reported stuff for Fl
this record would be therein.

I thought John was well aware of the extensive collecting I did in Florida
while I was stationed there in the US Navy, but am not surprised he didn't
inquire of me about this or any other taxa - he never does.  I fail to see
how his article is "news".   It's actually misinformation.   He states that
one Shirley M. Hills reported collecting E. martialis in Escambia County.  I
don't see how John's rejection of her record makes the species unconfirmed
in FL.  John said of these specimens "their true identity remains
uncertain".  Only to him.  He even rejected Kimball's mentioning another
specimen from Warrington in Escambia Co. as confirmation.  With these old
records and my specimens it is pretty evident that martialis is a regular
part of the Escambia skipper fauna.  The mid and upper part of that county
is rolling hills as a southern most extension of the Appalachian foot-hills.
I wager Stan Nicolay took martialis when he was stationed there also in the
50 or 60's.

There are many areas of the South where records of everything are few to
non-existent.  This is an artifact of the historical absence of
lepidopterists, and in no way should be taken to indicate any give taxon is
not present.   This is also why _several_ of the dot and solid range maps
for the South and southeast are very misleading because they imply that
species are not in certain places when they actually are.  These maps should
be boldly footnoted as only reflecting _collector_ records and not actual
species ranges.

Ron Gatrelle
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