SPECIES FACT SHEET Common Name “The Coastal Greenish

species fact sheet ================== common name: “the coastal greenish blue” - insular blue (subspecies of greenish blue) note: t

SPECIES FACT SHEET
==================
Common Name: “The Coastal Greenish Blue” - Insular Blue (subspecies of
Greenish Blue)
Note: This species is being referred to as the Coastal Greenish Blue
because the common name Insular Blue can be confused with another
subspecies of Greenish Blue (Plebejus saepiolus insulanus).
Scientific Name: Plebejus saepiolus littoralis (Emmel, Emmel, Mattoon
1998)
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
OR/WA BLM and FS Region 6 Units where Suspected or Documented:
Pyle (2002) lists Curry, Coos, and Lane counties in Oregon as having
documented sites. The species is also found in Del Norte County in
California (Emmel et al. 1998).
There are three known sites. The Rock Creek/Big Creek site in Lane
County appears to occur on Siuslaw National Forest land.
The site on the north side of Coquille River mouth is on state and
private lands in Coos County. The Cape Blanco site includes US Coast
Guard and Oregon State Parks land in Curry County. The site in
California is near Fort Dick in Del Norte County.
The Oregon Natural Heritage Program lists the Coast Range, California
and Curry and Lane Counties.
Technical Description:
Larval:
At ssp. level littoralis/insulanus level it is undescribed.
Description of species Plebejus saepiolus:
Green or pale green with white lateral line edged with red or pink
(Allen et al. 2005). Pyle also states that caterpillars, have green
and reddish forms (Pyle 2002).
Adult:
Description of species Plebejus saepiolus:
Size 1 – 1¼” (26-32mm). Sexes dimorphic.
Male upperside of wing: A grainy blue with green overtones, a black
border, and a distinct black bar in the FW cell.
Female upperside of wing: blue brown to copper, often with orange and
sometimes with blue at the base.
Male underside of wing: light gray with turquoise scaling at the base.
Female underside is tan to brownish gray, sometimes with blue at the
base.
Male and female undersides have various black spotting but almost
always have one or more pairs of pronounced, opposing spots near the
anal angle of the hind wing, marginal dashes faced by submarginal
chevrons, capping a subtle orange or rusty patch between them (female
lacks orange zig-zags of copper) (Pyle 2002; Opler 1999).
P.s. littoralis is differentiated from other greenish blue subspecies
by having fewer black spots with unique white halos and is slightly
larger then other Greenish Blue subspecies (Pyle 2002). The species is
considered a distinct and valid subspecies Emmel et al. 1998; Pyle
pers. com. 2005).
Life History:
Most life history details of this coastal subspecies appear to be
unknown or have not been published. According to (Emmel et al. 1998)
the subspecies flies in a single brood from early May to mid June.
Specimens have been collected from 26 May (Rock Creek) to 3 July (Coos
County Line, worn specimen), with most collection dates for the month
of June. (Evergreen Aurelian records)
There is additional information for the species.
Caterpillars are found on leaves of clovers from April – June (Allen
et al. 2005)
Adults are on the wing from late April to mid August, peaking in June
– July. (Pyle 2002; Opler 1999). Eggs are laid in clover flowers (Trifolium
monanthum, T. longipes, T. wormskiodldii, and probably others) (Pyle
1981). The species overwinters as early instar caterpillar in flower
head of host clover (Allen et al. 2005).
Range, Distribution (Current and Historic), and Abundance:
Historic - Little is known about the historic distribution. Historical
data shows the coastal subspecies present from Lake Earl, Del Norte
Co., CA; in Oregon, from Curry County- 2 mi N Gold Beach;
Cape Blanco; on Coos County line; Coos County- Coquille River
Lighthouse; Lane County- Rock Creek; Lincoln County- De (Devils) Lake.
A single record from Clatsop County (near Elsie) may have been due to
a mislabeled specimen (Warren 2005).
Current - Greenish Blue’s range extends throughout the western and
northern United States and transborder Canada (Pyle 2002). P.s.
littoralis is found in Curry and Coos counties and a mid-coastal
colony in Lane County in Oregon (Pyle 2002) as well as in Del Norte
County in California (Emmel et al. 1998). The Oregon Natural Heritage
Program lists locations as Curry and Lane Counties. Specifically it
has been found at Rock Creek/Big Creek site on Siuslaw National
Forest. The Lighthouse, N side of Coquille River mouth also appears to
be on Siuslaw National Forest land and at Cape Blanco on US Coast
Guard and Oregon State Parks land. It is also found on the immediate
coast of Del Norte County (Emmel et al. 1998)
Habitat Associations:
Typically along stream edges, bogs, or wet meadows but also along
drier sites that have blooming clovers such as roadsides and open
meadows. The name littoralis means “of the shore”….”; also “…found on
the immediate coast…”; and “…sand dunes…” are all they say in the
description of the ssp. littoralis.
The colony at the Coquille River Lighthouse favored the moist
depressions in the lee of sand dunes along the access road.
Threats:
Undocumented at this time, but may include the conversion of coastal
habitat to homes, succession of moist meadow or dune habitat to
shrub/woodland habitat, competition from weeds, trampling by humans,
livestock or offroad vehicles, or other natural ecological factors.
Some of these same threats have been documented for the Seaside Hoary
Elfin (Ross 2005) and the Oregon Silverspot, butterflies that are also
confined to coastal habitats.
Conservation Considerations:
Surveys (ssp. littoralis/insulanus) can be used to more accurately
determine the current distribution of the Coastal Greenish Blue and to
establish its local relative abundance and the threats to populations
wherever they occur. Historical sites could be visited first to
determine the presence/absence of the butterfly there. Searches for
additional populations could also be conducted, given the paucity of
historical records for the taxon.
Scale is important when managing habitat for at risk butterflies.
Division of a site into several management units is important, with
butterfly habitat within a site evenly divided among these management
units. Individual units could be managed in a rotation that assures at
least 2/3 of the habitat is left unmanaged at any one time (Dana
1991), with three growing seasons between management activities in any
one unit. This rotation should allow sufficient time for numbers to
rebuild before the next management action (Dana 1991).
More study is needed to determine management actions at known sites.
Managers may need to consult with an expert in managing habitat for
butterflies before moving forward on restoration projects or projects
that may adversely impact the sites.
Other pertinent information (includes references to Survey Protocols,
etc):
Conservation status:
Heritage Global Rank: G5T1T3
Heritage State Rank: California (SNR-Unranked), Oregon (S1-Critically
Imperiled), Washington (SNR - Unranked)
BLM Status: Bureau Sensitive Species
USFS Status: No status
ELECTRONIC ATTACHMENTS:
1.
Survey Protocol
2.
Key to Identification of the Species
3.
List of References
Preparer: Scott Hoffman Black and Logan Lauvray of the Xerces Society,
Portland OR; Dana Ross, Lepidopterist, Corvallis OR.
Date Completed: September 28, 2005
Survey Protocol
Below is a general survey protocol for butterfly searches that can be
adapted to the P.s. littoralis. It is recommended that searches be
conducted by an expert in butterfly identification and survey or
personnel trained by an expert.
All sites should be surveyed during the following environmental
conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum temperature: Above 60 degrees F.
Cloud cover: Partly sunny or better. On cooler days the sun can play a
very important role in getting butterflies to take to the air. On
warmer days (above 60 degrees F), direct sunlight is less important,
but a significant amount of the sun’s energy should be coming through
the clouds to help elevate the temperature of basking butterflies.
Wind: Less than 10 MPH. On windy days, butterflies will drop out of
the air if they cannot maintain their direction and/or speed of
flight.
Time of day: Between 10AM and 6PM. Success is most likely during the
warmest parts of the day.
Time of year: Typically June – July. Currently occupied sites should
be checked before the start of the search as flight times may vary due
to weather conditions in the spring and early summer.
Follow this protocol after arriving at each potential site.
1.
Approach the site and scan for any butterfly activity, as well as
suitable habitat.
2.
Fill out all of the site information on your datasheet.
3.
Walk through the site slowly (about 5 minutes to walk 100 meters),
look back and forth on either side, approximately 20 to 30 feet
out. Do best to walk in a path such that you cover the entire site
with this visual field, or at least all of the areas of suitable
habitat.
4.
If you leave the path you are walking to look at a particular
butterfly, do your best to return to where you left your path when
you resume walking/searching through the site.
5.
When a suspected (Plebejus saepiolus littoralis) is encountered,
net the butterfly to confirm its identification.
6.
Record all data for sites whether butterflies are seen or not. In
this way, we document both new sites, as well as our overall
search effort.
Key to Identification of the Species
Butterfly field guides (such as Pyle 2002) are probably the best
source of pictorial “keys”. It is best to refer to a butterfly guide
when trying to identify this species.
Plebejus saepiolus: Size 1 – 1¼” (26-32mm).
Male upperside of wing: A grainy blue with green overtones, a black
border, and a distinct black bar in the FW cell.
Female upperside of wing: blue brown to copper, often with orange and
sometimes with blue at the base.
Male underside of wing: light gray with turquoise scaling at the base.
Female underside is tan to brownish gray, sometimes with blue at the
base.
Male and female undersides have various black spotting but almost
always have one or more pairs of pronounced, opposing spots near the
anal angle of the hind wing, marginal dashes faced by submarginal
chevrons, capping a subtle orange or rusty patch between them (female
lacks orange zig-zags of copper) (Pyle 2002; Opler 1999).
P.s. littoralis is differentiated from other greenish blue subspecies
by having fewer black spots with unique white halos and is slightly
larger then other Greenish Blue subspecies (Pyle 2002).
Similar species:
Boisduval’s Blue (Icaricia icarioides) is larger and has white spots
or white-encircled black spots on underside of hind wing.
Sivery Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus) is more iridescent on upperside
and has more regular row of round black spots on underside of hind
wing (Opler 1999).
Image: littoralis- see Pyle 2002 (page 247).
References
Allen, Thomas J.; Brock, Jim P.; and Glassberg, Jeffrey. 2005.
Caterpillars In the Field and Garden, A Field Guide to the Butterly
Caterpillars of North America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, New
York.
Dana, R.P. 1991. Conservation management of the prairie skippers
Hesperia dacotae and Hesperia ottoe: Basic biology and threat of
mortality during prescribed spring burns. University of Minnesota.
Minnesota Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 594-1991(AD-SB-5511-S). 62 pp.
Emmel, J.F, T.C. Emmel and S.O. Mattoon. 1998. New Polyommatinae
Subspecies of Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera) from California. Pages 171-200
in T. C. Emmel, editor. Systematics of western North American
butterflies. Mariposa Press, Gainesville, Florida. 878pp.
New, T.R.; Pyle, R.M.; Thomas, J.A.; Thomas, C.D.; and Hammond, P.C.
“Butterfly Conservation Management.” Annual Review of Entomology 40
(1995): 57-83.
Opler, Paul. 1999. A Field Guid to Western Butterflies. 2d ed.
Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
Pyle, Robert Michael. 2002. The Butterflies of Cascadia, A Field Guide
to All the Species of Washington, Oregon, and Surrounding Territories.
Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, Washington.
Pyle, Robert Michael. 1981. The Audubon Society Field Guide To North
American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, New York.
Scott, James A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America, A Natural
History and Field Guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford,
California.
Warren, Andrew D. 2005. Lepidoptera of North America 6, Butterflies of
Oregon: Their Taxonomy, Distribution, and Biology. Department of
Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
The Evergreen Aurelians. 1996. Butterfly records for Washington,
compiled by John Hinchliff. Notebooks: 14 Volumes. Unpublished data.
NatureServe Explorer:
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Plebejus+saepiolus+littoralis
NatureServe Explorer:
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Plebejus+saepiolus+insulanus
United States Geological Survey / Northern Prairie Wildlife Research
Center website on Greenish Blue. For the United States:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/usa/261.htm
Oregon Natural Heritage Program. 2003. Oregon Natural heritage Plan.
Department of State Lands, Salem, OR. 167pp.
Personal Communication
Robert Pyle, Lepidopterist, Grays Harbor, WA
8
Fact Sheet for the Insular Blue (Plebejus saepiolus littoralis) -
September 28, 2005