Speyeria zerene ( Boisduval, 1852 )

Dunford, James C., 2009, Taxonomic overview of the greater fritillary genus Speyeria Scudder and the atlantis - hesperis species complexes, with species accounts, type images, and relevant literature (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Insecta Mundi 2009 (90), pp. 1-74 : 19-21

Speyeria zerene ( Boisduval, 1852)

( Figure 5C , 14 )

Argynnis Zerene Boisduval, 1852: 303 .

Argynnis monticola Behr, 1863: 84 (synonymized by Dos Passos and Grey 1947).

Speyeria zerene (Boisduval) [ dos Passos and Grey 1945a].

Common names. Zerene fritillary.

Type deposited. Lectotype (male) designated by dos Passos and Grey (1947) at National Museum of Natural History ( Figure 14 ).

Type locality. California. Defined by dos Passos and Grey (1947) based on lectotype as Yosemite Valley, Mariposa County, California. However, Masters (1979) (and also see Grey 1989) disputed this locality because it was unlikely that P. Lorquin collected specimens from Yosemite Valley before 1856. Masters listed Agua Fria, Mariposa County, as the likely type locality because Lorquin collected there in 1850- 1851. Agua Fria is closest to Yosemite Valley and is in the same biotic province. However, Agua Fria is no longer in existence but was a gold camp and the county seat of Mariposa County in 1850. It was located on Aqua Fria Creek just west of the present town of Mariposa and approximately 35 miles southwest of Yosemite Valley. Emmel et al. (1998a) dismissed the likelihood of Lorquin traveling to Mariposa County before 1852 based on his travels to the Feather River region during those times, thus re-defined the type locality to Hwy 70 at Chambers Creek, North Fork Feather River, Plumas County, California.

Type label data. “Zerene. Bois. Calif. Californie.; Argynnis Zerene l’un des 2 types., Boisduval. Ann. Fr. 1852. p. 303; EX MUSAEO Dris. BOISDUVAL; Oberthur Collection; Type A zerene Bdv. a/c Hofer; Barnes Collection” .

Identification, taxonomy, and variation. There are approximately 16 described subspecies in the zerene complex. Adult wingspan is 48-67 mm. Wing coloration in this complex is highly variable (see Grey and Moeck 1962; Grey 1972; Warren 2005). The upper side ground color of the wings varies from deep orange to pale yellow or brown to tan and the underside of the hindwings shows great variability depending on geographic location. The ground color of the inner discal area ranges from maroon through various shades of reddish-brown through tan (discal coloration is generally violet-brown in Sierra Nevada Mountains, yellow in Great Basin, and slightly greenish brown in southern Wyoming and Colorado); the band located outside of the disc runs from lavender to tan or yellow; hindwing spots are usually silvered but not always (they are yellowish in California and southern Nevada). The three anterior spots in the median band area are all separate, the second spot is round and larger, and the third spot is narrower and slanted away from the second. Speyeria zerene , S. coronis , S. callippe , S. egleis , and S. atlantis are very similar to each other in some regions. The thin, light veins in the male, and the large round, silver median spots on the ventral hindwing should distinguish S. zerene from most other Speyeria with the exception of S. coronis . Variation at the subspecific level is also parallel within these species. Eggs are cream to pinkish-tan. Larvae are typically black with yellowish to gray-tan dorsal stripes. The top two rows of spines are generally black, the middle row may be black or yellow, and the bottom row yellow. Larvae are somewhat variable in coloration throughout the range of S. zerene . Pupae are similar to those of S. nokomis and hang vertically within leaves tied with silk as in most Speyeria .

Range. Forms of S. zerene occur from southeastern Alaska, southwestern Canada, south to central California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, and southwestern Colorado. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed a few subspecific forms as either threatened or endangered [i.e., S. zerene hippolyta (Edwards) , S. zerene behrensii (Edwards) , and S. zerene myrtleae dos Passos and Grey ] and some populations along the California coast have been extirpated ( Hammond and McCorkle 1984). Some Oregon populations of Speyeria zerene nr. bremnerii (Edwards) are now extinct ( Warren 2005).

Life history. Depending on geographic location, zerene complex occurs in a wide array of habitats. Warren (2005) noted that populations in Oregon exist from near sea level to approximately 9,000’. Several subspecies occur along forest roads and in moist ravines and montane conifer forests, while some [i.e., S. zerene gunderi (Comstock) ] occur in the open expanses of sage and rabbitbrush. The Behren’s Fritillary (S. z. behrensii) and Hippolyta Fritillary (S. z. hippolyta) occur in unlikely habitat along the weatherbeaten, salt-spray meadow coastline of the Pacific Ocean. Habitat destruction is the likely cause of the decline of the S. z. myrtleae and S. z. hippolyta ( Launer et al. 1994). Speyeria z. behrensii, S. z. hippolyta, and S. z. myrtleae are presently listed as federally endangered. Several life history studies and land management discussions occur in the literature for these declining zerene complex ( McCorkle 1975; McCorkle and Hammond 1988; Launer et al. 1994; Patterson 2002; Connor et al. 2002). McCorkle and Hammond (1988) discuss the life history of S. z. hippolyta (as well as Speyeria in general) in detail. Flight period of S. zerene is as early as late June to July, while some (i.e., S. z. behrensii and S. z. hippolyta) appear on the wing in August and September. Scott (1975) reported that males in Colorado and Idaho populations would patrol all day in open areas.

Larval host plants. Viola adunca , V. cuneata , V. lobata , V. nuttallii , V. psychodes , V. purpurea , V. beckwithii ( Scott 1986b; Hammond 1995; Robinson et al. 2002).

Adult food resources. As with other Speyeria , there are numerous plant species from which S. zerene likely nectar on.

Figures

Figure 5. Habitus images of adult Speyeria spp., each image with dorsal (left) and ventral (right) view. A) Speyeria diana, male. B) Speyeria diana, female. C) Speyeria zerene gunderi (Comstock), male; Nevada. D) Speyeria callippe harmonia dos Passos and Grey, male; Nevada. E) Speyeria mormonia artonis (Edwards), male; Nevada. Images by James C. Dunford.

Figure 11-15. Type images for Speyeria spp.; dorsal, ventral, and label images. 11) Speyeria nokomis lectotype, described as Argynnis Nokomis, male, AMNH. This specimen is not recognized as the name bearing type. 12) Speyeria edwardsii lectotype, described as Argynnis edwardsii, male, FMNH. 13) Speyeria coronis neotype, described as Argynnis Coronis, male, CMNH. 14) Speyeria zerene lectotype, described as Argynnis Zerene, male, NMNH. 15) Speyeria carolae holotype, described as Argynnis coronis carolae, male, CMNH. Images 11-13 and 15 by James C. Dunford; 14 by Robert Robbins.