Pyrgus centaureae wyandot

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Pyrgus centaureae wyandot
Status TNC T1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Pyrgus
Species:
Subspecies:
P. c. wyandot
Trinomial name
Pyrgus centaureae wyandot
(Edwards, 1863)

Pyrgus centaureae wyandot, the Appalachian grizzled skipper, is a small, brown, gray and white butterfly known to inhabit parts of the Appalachian highlands and Northern Michigan. It can be identified by its characteristic checkered wing pattern formed by the scales on the fore- and hindwings. The butterflies are known to prefer sites with minimal vegetation, such as open areas in hardwood forests, as well as sites of recent disturbance. The skipper's main larval food plants include Canada cinquefoil ( Potentilla canadensis ) and wild strawberry ( Fragaria virginiana ) depending on the specific population's range. The butterfly is listed as a federal species of concern and holds a state endangered title in Ohio [2] and New Jersey. [3]

Contents

Description

The Appalachian grizzled skipper butterfly is a subspecies of the butterfly Pyrgus centaureae or northern grizzled skipper. The Appalachian skipper is characterized by its gray and brown top color, distinctive white checkered markings on the wings and wing edges as well as its unusual flight pattern. The butterflies are known to grow anywhere from around 29 to 33 millimeters in size. The grizzled skipper rarely flies above three feet off the ground and does so in quick, jerky movements. The skipper is hard to spot while flying because of its dingy color and its likeness to the exposed ground. When threatened, the butterfly typically lands in the vegetation, making it hard to find for predators.

Habitat

The skipper's preferred habitats are now considered more varied than the original speculation that they only lived in shale barrens. Usually living in openings near pine or oak forests, the butterflies tend to populate sparsely vegetated, often disturbed, barrens with exposed rock or soil. One thing that does seem to remain a constant is the abundance of larval host plants in the populated area. Whether it is cinquefoil or wild strawberry, the grizzled skippers gravitate toward these plants as they act as a source of sustenance for both the butterfly larvae and the adults. A thriving population of Appalachian grizzled skippers was found inhabiting a distinct range of the Wayne National Forest in southern Ohio[ citation needed ] that has recently been developed for a new highway bypass project. [4] [ additional citation(s) needed ] Other known disturbed habitats the butterflies frequent are power lines, pipelines, forest roads, fire lanes, clear cuts and south-facing slopes.

Mating and behavior

The Appalachian grizzled skipper is known to mate once a year in the months of April and May. The female lays her eggs on the underside of a host plant and the eggs typically hatch in eight to ten days. During mating season, which is the skipper's most active time of the year, the male patrols the populated area searching for prospective mates.

Status and population decline

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has classified the Appalachian grizzled skipper as a state endangered species [5] due to declining population numbers in the state. One of the main causes of this decline is an unintended reaction to the spraying of pesticides aimed at controlling spongy moth populations. Many populations of spongy moths targeted to be sprayed with insecticides, such as diflubenzuron, were located on ridges with abundant oak trees, and Appalachian grizzled skippers may have been residing in or near these areas. This spraying has caused many populations to be extirpated in the Appalachian region and the state of New Jersey. [6] Monitoring by conservationist groups coupled with state endangerment protection may prove successful at maintaining the remaining colonies.

Related Research Articles

<i>Potentilla</i> Genus of flowering plants in the rose family Rosaceae

Potentilla is a genus containing over 300 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae.

<i>Pyrgus malvae</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Pyrgus malvae, the grizzled skipper, is a butterfly species from the family Hesperiidae. It is a small skipper (butterfly) with a chequered pattern on its wings that appears to be black and white. This butterfly can be found throughout Europe and is common in central and southern regions of England. The butterfly prefers three major types of habitat: woodland, grassland, and industrial. Referenced as a superspecies, Pyrgus malvae includes three semispecies: malvae, malvoides, and melotis. Eggs are laid on plants that will provide warmth and proper nutrition for development. As larvae, their movement is usually restricted to a single plant, on which they will build tents, unless they move onto a second host plant. Larvae then spin cocoons, usually on the last host plant they have occupied, where they remain until spring. Upon emerging as adult butterflies, grizzled skippers are quite active during the day and tend to favour blue or violet-coloured plants for food. They also possess multiple methods of communication; for example, vibrations are used to communicate with ants, and chemical secretions play a role in mating. Exhibiting territorial behaviour, males apply perching and patrolling strategies to mate with a desired female.

<i>Pyrgus</i> Butterfly genus known as grizzled skippers

Pyrgus is a genus in the skippers butterfly family, Hesperiidae, known as the grizzled skippers. The name "checkered" or "chequered skipper" may also be applied to some species, but also refers to species in the genera Burnsius and Carterocephalus. They occur in the Holarctic with an additional group of species extending to the Neotropic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

The Large Grizzled skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberthür's grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Oberthür's grizzled skipper is a species of skipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinquefoil skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly

The Cinquefoil Skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.

<i>Pyrgus ruralis lagunae</i> Subspecies of the two-banded checkered skipper (Pyrgus ruralis)

Pyrgus ruralis lagunae, the Laguna Mountains skipper, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is a subspecies of Pyrgus ruralis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safflower skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly

The safflower skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

The Alpine Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

The Dusky Grizzled Skipper is a species of skipper butterfly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern grizzled skipper</span> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

The northern grizzled skipper is a Holarctic species of skipper butterfly with a range in North America from the subarctic to the north, New Mexico to the south, and the Appalachian Mountains to the east.In the Palearctic the species which was described from Norway is distributed across Scandinavia and the northern part of European Russia across the Urals through northern Asia to the Altai.

<i>Pyrgus malvoides</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Pyrgus malvoides, the Southern Grizzled Skipper, is a species of skipper.

<i>Pyrgus ruralis</i> Species of skipper butterfly genus Pyrgus

Pyrgus ruralis, the two-banded checkered skipper, is a species of skipper butterfly. It is found from southern British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains of SW Alberta, with populations south to central California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, and one population of an endangered subspecies in southern California, in the mountains east of San Diego. That endangered subspecies is ssp. lagunae, known by the common name Laguna Mountains skipper.

<i>Borodinia serotina</i> Species of plant

Borodinia serotina is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name shale barren rockcress. It is native to eastern West Virginia and western Virginia in and around the Shenandoah Valley, where it is known from 62 populations. It is endemic to the shale barrens, a type of habitat characterized by steep slopes of bare shale, an exposed, rocky habitat type that is subject to very dry and hot conditions. Shale barrens host a number of endemics, such as Allium oxyphilum and Taenidia montana, and this rockcress is among the rarest. It is a federally listed endangered species.

Spesard Knob, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a "Mountain Treasure".

References

  1. NatureServe (1 March 2024). "Pyrgus centaureae wyandot". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. "Ohio's Listed Species" (PDF). Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. July 2022. p. 4. Publication 5356. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  3. Division of Fish and Wildlife, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. "Appalachian Grizzled Skipper" (PDF). Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  4. "U.S. 33 Nelsonville Bypass". Ohio Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016.
  5. "Grizzled Skipper". Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  6. "Species: Grizzled Skipper" (PDF). Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, State of Pennsylvania. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2024.