Miami blue
Miami blue | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Lycaenidae |
Genus: | Cyclargus |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | C. t. bethunebakeri
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Trinomial name | |
Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri W. P Comstock & Huntington, 1943
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Synonyms | |
Hemiargus thomasi bethunebakeri |
The Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri) is a small
Taxonomy
The Miami blue has had several synonyms. It was first identified in 1886 as a Florida population (south from the
Description
The Miami blue has a wingspan of 22 to 28 millimetres (0.87 to 1.10 in). The upper side of the wings is bright metallic blue in males, and dark gray with some blue towards the base of the wings in females. The underside of the wings in both sexes is gray with a white band on the hind wing and four black spots. Larvae vary in color from light green to purple. The pupae may be black or green.[4]
Biology
Females may lay 300 eggs. Females lay one egg at a time, but more than one egg may be laid on a
Prior to the 1970s, Miami blues were reported to use grey nickerbeans (
Mainland populations of Miami blues laid their eggs on balloon vine (
Rainfall in the Florida Keys may be an important factor in explaining the decline of the Miami blue.[8]
Range
Before the late 20th century, the range of the Miami blue ran from
The Miami blue butterfly has been reported from Bimini, and as a stray in other parts of The Bahamas.[9] The range of the Miami blue was reduced in the second half of the twentieth century due to the
It had disappeared from the mainland of Florida and from the barrier islands along the peninsula by 1990. It had become confined to a few spots in the Florida Keys and was becoming rare there. Hurricane Andrew appeared to have wiped out the subspecies in 1992.
Miami blues have limited home ranges. Adults recaptured after having previously being trapped were seldom found more than 25 feet away from the initial trapping location.[11]
Sightings and breeding programs
In 1999 some Miami blues were spotted in Bahia Honda State Park. It was estimated that fewer than fifty of the butterflies were left. Acting on a request from the North American Butterfly Association, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission temporarily listed the Miami blue as endangered on an emergency basis in 2002. The 'endangered' listing was made permanent in 2003. In the meantime, searches had found no other colonies of the Miami blue.
In 2003 the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida began raising and breeding Miami blues, starting from about 100 eggs collected in the wild. In 2004 they released 2,500 of the insects at selected locations.[12] In August and September 2006 hundreds of captive-bred caterpillars and adult Miami blues were released on Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park.[13] Miami blues have been reintroduced to Everglades National Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, but all of the attempts prior to May 2009 have failed .[14]
In November and December 2006, more colonies were discovered on Boca Grande Key and the Marquesas Keys in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The population on Bahia Honda died out in 2010, and conservation efforts were then focused on the colonies in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Another colony of breeding Miami blue butterflies was discovered in the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in 2016.[15]
The Miami blue butterfly is listed as an Endangered species by the state of Florida[16] and the federal government.[17] It is listed as a Critically Imperiled subspecies by NatureServe.
Citations
- ^ "Federal Register :: Request Access".
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ Longcore: 2.
- ^ Daniels, Janet C. (2005). "Species Profile: Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri". In Shepherd, M. D.; Vaughn, D. M.; Black, S. H. (eds.). Red List of Pollinator Insects of North America (PDF) (CD-ROM Version 1 ed.). Portland, Oregon: The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ Rivenbark: Reproduction.
- ^ Rivenbark: Habitat.
- ^ a b Florida FWC. "Miami Blue Butterfly". Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ KOBILINSKY, DANA (2 May 2022). "Rainfall may exacerbate Florida butterfly decline". wildlife.org. The Wildlife Society. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ Rivenbark: Historical range/distribution.
- ^ Carroll, & Loye, J. (2006). Invasion, Colonization, and Disturbance; Historical Ecology of the Endangered Miami Blue Butterfly. Journal of Insect Conservation, 10(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-005-8315-z.
- ^ Rivenbark: Range size and dispersal.
- ^ "Endangered Miami Blue Butterfly Gets New Lease on Life In UF Breeding Program". University of Florida News. May 26, 2004. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ "Miami Blue Butterflies Reintroduced". National Park Service. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
- ^ Rivenbark: Land Ownership.
- ^ Watts, Kate (June 2, 2016). "Rare Miami blue butterflies discovered in Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^ U.S. FWS (December 29, 2015). "Miami Blue Butterfly". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^ "Endangered and Threatened; Listing of the Miami Blue Butterfly as Endangered Throughout Its Range; ..." Office of the Federal Register. April 6, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
References
- Daniels, Jaret C. and Stephanie J. Sanchez. 2006. Naturalists at Large: Blue's Revival. Natural History. 115:6. October, 2006. pp. 26–28, 75.
- Daniels, Janet C. (2005). "Species Profile: Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri". In Shepherd, M. D.; Vaughn, D. M.; Black, S. H. (eds.). Red List of Pollinator Insects of North America (PDF) (CD-ROM Version 1 ed.). Portland, Oregon: The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2008. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- Longcore, Travis (July 15, 2013). "Assessment of Recovery Strategies for Miami Blue Butterfly" (PDF). Urban Wildlands Group. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- Miami Blue Butterfly- URL retrieved October 11, 2006
- Florida FWC. "Miami Blue Butterfly". Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- Rivenbark, Erin (May 2009). "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Form - Scientific Name: Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri" (PDF). consensus.fsu.edu. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
- Cannon, P. 2007. Rarest of the very rare: local photographer finds colonies of Miami blue butterflies. Keys Sunday, January 7 issue. pp. 16–18.
- Carroll, & Loye, J. (2006). Invasion, Colonization, and Disturbance; Historical Ecology of the Endangered Miami Blue Butterfly. Journal of Insect Conservation, 10(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-005-8315-z
External links
- North American Butterfly Association: Miami Blue Fund Archived 2006-09-27 at the Wayback Machine - Includes photos of Miami blues.
- NABA Chapter: Miami Dade County