Speyeria adiaste atossa
| Speyeria adiaste atossa | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Speyeria |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | †S. a. atossa
|
| Trinomial name | |
| †Speyeria adiaste atossa (W. H. Edwards, 1864)
| |
Speyeria adiaste atossa, the Atossa fritillary,[1] is an extinct subspecies of the unsilvered fritillary (Speyeria adiaste) butterfly in the Nymphalidae family.[2][3]
Taxonomy
Speyeria adiaste atossa was first described by American entomologist William Henry Edwards in 1864. Speyeria is now recognized as a subgenus of Argynnis as of 2017.[4]
Distribution and habitat
They were formerly found in the Tehachapi, Tejon and San Jacinto mountain ranges in southern California. They were found in higher elevations near the tops of mountains.[5]
Extinction
The subspecies was last observed and collected around 1960.[5]
Causes
The precise cause of this subspecies extinction is not known. Droughts in the late 50's may have weakened the population and made them more vulnerable to disease.[5] Both the Speyeria fritillary butterflies and their larval food plants Viola are known to be more sensitive to environmental changes than some other native species in their habitats.[6][7]
See also
- Xerces blue (extinct butterfly species in California)
References
- ^ "Atossa Fritillary (Speyeria adiaste atossa) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ^ "Unsilvered Fritillary Speyeria adiaste (W.H. Edwards, 1864) | Butterflies and Moths of North America". www.butterfliesandmoths.org. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ^ "ITIS - Report: Speyeria adiaste atossa". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ^ De Moya, Robert S.; Savage, Wesley K.; Tenney, Chris; Bao, Xiaoshan; Wahlberg, Niklas; Hill, Ryan I. (October 2017). "Interrelationships and diversification of A rgynnis F abricius and S peyeria S cudder butterflies". Systematic Entomology. 42 (4): 635–649. doi:10.1111/syen.12236. ISSN 0307-6970.
- ^ a b c "Extinction is Forever: Gone but Not Forgotten II - California Academy of Sciences". www.calacademy.org. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ^ Wildearth Guardians. 2010. Petition to List the Unsilvered Fritillary (Speyeria adiaste) Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. WildEarth Guardians, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- ^ Sims, Steven R. (2017-04-25). "Speyeria (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Conservation". Insects. 8 (2): 45. doi:10.3390/insects8020045. ISSN 2075-4450. PMC 5492059. PMID 28441319.