Subject: Seward Peninsula butterflies

From: Kenelm Philip <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 17 Jun 1995 21:45:34 -0800

In reply to David Powell's two questions re Seward Peninsula butterflies
seen 9 June:

_Erebia fasciata_ and _Oeneis bore_ are perfectly reasonable species for
that time of year, given an early spring (which Alaska, unlike some other
states, is having this year). _Boloria chariclea_, however, is a late
summer species in the tundra--I suspect that _B. freija_ was seen, or
even _B. polaris_, both of which are very early species.

As for whether it was _O. bore_ or _O. taygete_, it depends what reference
you use. Myself, I call _all_ the Alaskan populations in this group _bore_.
Material from the Magadanskaya Oblast', just across the Bering Sea, seems
quite similar. Scott's book ('The Butterflies of North America') calls the
species _bore_, and uses _taygete_ as a N.A. subspecies designator.

The Seward Peninsula has a rich (by arctic standards) butterfly fauna,
although no Skippers have been seen during any of my five collecting
trips to that area--which is odd, since Skippers do occur on the North
Slope.

                                                Ken Philip
[email-masked]