http://10.70.15.71/taxonomy/term/14/0 en http://10.70.15.71/butterfly/Poanes/melane <p>Although common in parts of the Bay Area where it is an urban "lawn skipper," on our <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term175"><acronym title="A line along which environmental data is collected. In this study, the 10 locations that have been regularly sampled for butterfly diversity is roughly along a transect line paralleling U.S. Interstate 80 from the eastern San Francisco delta through the Sacramento Valley, and up and over the Sierra Nevada mountains.">transect</acronym></a> this is entirely a <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term169"><acronym title="The primary unit of classification below genus under the Linnaean system. For our purposes, groups of interbreeding or potentially interbreeding populations of individuals that share an evolutionary history and ancestry. However, there is significant debate on what exactly constitutes a species and many definitions and concepts have been proposed. The most common of these is the biological species concept, which requires that sets of populations must be able to successfully and regularly interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring.">species</acronym></a> of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term164"><acronym title="Occurring along creeks, rivers, or other bodies of fresh water. These wetter habitats are usually characterized by different flora and fauna than their adjacent upland habitats. The Pipevine Swallowtail and Lorquin’s Admiral are characteristic riparian butterflies.">riparian</acronym></a> forest and is generally uncommon or even rare. It perches in dappled light and shade along streamsides, generally well off the ground. Its upper limit of <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term163"><acronym title="The maintenance of year-round, breeding populations by a species at any given locality. ">residency</acronym></a> at the latitude of I-80 seems to be about 3000'. There is no evident variation.</p> <p>Two to three broods in our area, April-October; flight season longervin Bay Area. Hostbplants presumably native riparian grasses, but not identified. In Berkeley it breeds happily on Bermuda Grass, which seems to have not discovered farther inland. Adults visit Yerba Santa, Dogbane, Milkweed, Thistles, Yellow Star Thistle, California Buckeye, Coyote Brush, etc., etc.</p> Poanes Sun, 28 May 2006 18:07:57 +0000 admin 133 at http://10.70.15.71