http://10.70.15.71/taxonomy/term/19/0 en http://10.70.15.71/butterfly/Agriades/podarce <p>This is a member of a <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term90"><acronym title="Living in the high latitudes (and often high elevations farther south) throughout the northern hemisphere.">circumboreal</acronym></a> complex seemingly undergoing <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term168"><acronym title="The processes through which different populations or groups of organisms become reproductively isolated from each other to form different species. These can arise from genetic changes, ecological or environmental differences, or physical or behavioral isolation, or any combination thereof. ">speciation</acronym></a> even as we speak. Our populations are highly localized with the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term128"><acronym title="The species or set of species of plants that caterpillars must eat to develop properly. Host plant specificity can vary greatly across butterfly species, ranging from only 1 plant species to dozens of suitable plant species. Host plant specificity can promote speciation between two or more groups of closely related through reproductive isolation. Prime examples of this are Euphilotes blue butterflies and some Apodemia metalmarks that almost exclusively use different species or varieties buckwheats (Eriogonum) as larval hosts. A similar situation has been demonstrated in Mitoura hairstreaks that feed on trees in the family Cupressaceae (junipers, incense-cedar, cypresses).">host plant</acronym></a> along streamsides in wet and boggy high-altitude meadows. At Donner they occur in a small part of the Lake VanNorden Meadows and also on a couple of small boggy meadows upslope from Clair Tappaan Lodge and Cal Lodge. At Castle Peak they occupy a small portion of Castle Valley. They always co-occur with the much more widespread Greenish Blue, <i>Plebejus saepiolus</i>, and usually fly together in early summer (June-August), visiting the small flowers of native clovers.</p> <p>The host is Shooting-Star, <i>Dodecatheon jeffreyi</i> (Primulaceae), which usually grows right at the edges of small streams among sedges. Our populations of this distinctive butterfly are very lightly-marked beneath; those from northwestern California are very dark.</p> Agriades Sun, 28 May 2006 18:09:51 +0000 admin 19 at http://10.70.15.71