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Post by Melly on Feb 26, 2005 19:04:25 GMT
The Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) is perhaps the most famous of the extinct United States butterflies. It was a fascinating species that was once locally common at suitable habitats on the San Francisco Peninsula. It was of great interest to lepidopterists due to the remarkable variation in wing pattern; indeed, some of these varieties were originally considered to represent distinct species, until it was observed that the various forms readily interbred. The Xerces Blue, in Essence, was a species which consisted of only one population, although great variation was present in the individuals comprising the population. From this standpoint alone, the butterfly would have made an excellent subject for genetic, evolutionary, and ecological studies.
Xerces was a small butterfly, the upper wing surfaces iridescent blue-violet in the male, brown in the female. Populations inhabited stabilized sandy sites with rather low-growing vegetation, including the former Lone Mountain Cemetery, the Presidio miliary base (just west of the Naval Hospital and north of Lobos Creek), several locations in the Sunset District (including the western slopes of Twin Peaks), and the Lake Merced area. By the 1930's, the butterfly was restricted to vacant lots. The last known specimens were taken March 23, 1941 by W.H. Lange at the Presidio.
The Xerces Blue flew generally from mid-March to mid-April. Females laid their eggs on several leguminous plants: Deerweed (Lotus scoparius), Yellow-flowering Beach Lupine (Lupinus arboreus), and a blue-flowering lupine species (possibly Lupinus micranthus). Apparently, Deerweed was the most commonly utilized and preferred caterpillar food. All of the above foodplants are much more widespread than was the Xerces Blue: Deerweed, for example, occurs throughout the California coastal foothills. Close relatives of the Xerces Blue utilize Deerweed and various lupine species at many locations in the western United States. It appears that geographic isolation and climate, rather than foodplant specialization, limited Xerces to the San Francisco Peninsula. The French entomologist Boisduval named the butterfly for King Xerxes, but retained the French spelling, Xerces.
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Post by another specialist on Aug 8, 2005 7:34:39 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Aug 8, 2005 7:41:10 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Aug 8, 2005 7:59:14 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Aug 8, 2005 13:30:56 GMT
Xerces Blue Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) NO PHOTO Scientific Name: Glaucopsyche xerces Status: Extinct The Xerces Blue butterfly is the first butterfly in North America known to have become extinct due to human disturbance. This butterfly formerly inhabited the sand dune systems of San Francisco until this habitat was almost entirely destroyed by urban development. The species was first described in 1852, at which time small populations were probably widely dispersed around the peninsula. Populations of this butterfly's food plant, legumes in the genera Lotus and Lupinus still persist at some of the butterfly's former localities. Thus the exact reasons for the butterfly's disappearance are uncertain. Numerous possible explanations can be proposed from population genetic theory (see our essay Population Genetics and Endangered Species Conservation). Obviously the areas which any one population could occupy was diminished. Possibly remaining areas were not large enough to maintain the diversity necessary to cope with the many other radical environmental changes occurring. It is likely also that the peninsula populations together functioned as a metapopulation. When the subpopulations' connections to each other were severed, the whole was no longer sustainable. Another possible explanation comes from consideration of the butterfly's life history. Like many lycaenid butterflies, the Xerces Blue was probably associated with ants in its larval stages. In such associations the ants may provide significant care to the developing larvae. At about the time of the earliest declines in the Xerces Blue's populations a new species of ant had been introduced from South America, the Argentine ant (Iridomyrmex humilis) which has displaced numerous native ant species, particularly in urban and suburban areas. Because the Argentine ant is not adapted to any kind of relationship with California butterflies, any dependent on native ants' care would have suffered losses at this time. Whatever the specific causes, all of the above factors are associated with urbanization. Though only the Xerces Blue has received widespread attention, the growth of San Francisco has undoubtedly brought about the decline or extinction of many undocumented insect populations, subspecies, and species. Certainly San Francisco is not unique in this respect either. Cities and native biodiversity are to some extent mutually exclusive. However, there are ways of lessening our impact as we grow which would make our cities much more environmentally friendly. We, and all of the other organisms we share our space with, would stand to benefit from more consideration of Urban Ecology. For further reading: Emmel, T.C. and J.F. Emmel, 1993. The Xerces Blue, Glaucopsyche xerces (Boisduval). in: T.R. New (ed.), Conservation Biology of the Lycaenidae (Butterflies). Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 8. essig.berkeley.edu/endins/xerces.htm |
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Post by another specialist on Aug 9, 2005 4:00:38 GMT
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Post by Bowhead Whale on Jan 23, 2007 20:37:05 GMT
Poor little one...
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Post by another specialist on Jan 5, 2008 15:55:47 GMT
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Post by Bowhead Whale on Jan 10, 2008 19:06:34 GMT
What did the bottom of its wings look like? I case I make one in plush...
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Post by another specialist on Jan 10, 2008 19:10:18 GMT
The image above shows you.
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Post by another specialist on Mar 7, 2008 20:45:30 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Mar 22, 2008 8:33:00 GMT
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Post by another specialist on Oct 16, 2008 16:26:03 GMT
The Xerces Blue Butterfly by: Robert C. Kuhmann  "Each extinction is a unique voice silenced in a universal conversation, of which we ourselves are only one participant." Preface: In 1875, San Francisco lepidopterist Herman Behr wrote to his Chicago colleague Herman Strecker, lamenting that the Xerces Blue butterfly was "now extinct (as regards the neighborhood of San Francisco). The locality where it used to be found is converted into building lots, and between German chickens and Irish hogs no insect can exist besides louse and flea. " Eventually, Behr’s prophecy panned out, and the Xerces Blue ceased flying altogether. Extinction Facts: The Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus xerces) is perhaps the most famous of the extinct United States butterflies. It was a fascinating species that was once locally common at suitable habitats on the San Francisco Peninsula. It was of great interest to lepidopterists due to the remarkable variation in wing pattern; indeed, some of these varieties were originally considered to represent distinct species, until it was observed that the various forms readily interbred. The Xerces Blue, in essence, was a sub-species which consisted of only one population, although great variation was present in the individuals comprising the population. From this standpoint alone, the butterfly would have made an excellent subject for genetic, evolutionary, and ecological studies. Xerces was a small butterfly, the upper wing surfaces iridescent blue-violet in the male, brown in the female. Populations inhabited stabilized sandy sites with rather low-growing vegetation, including the former Lone Mountain Cemetery, the Presidio military base (just west of the Naval Hospital and north of Lobos Creek), several locations in the Sunset District (including the western slopes of Twin Peaks), and the Lake Merced area. By the 1930's, the butterfly was restricted to vacant lots. The last known specimens were taken: March 23, 1941 by W. H. Lange at the "Presidio" (a few specimens exist in museums). Life of a gentle Butterfly: The Xerces Blue flew generally from mid-March to mid-April. Females laid their eggs on several leguminous plants: Deerweed (Lotus scoparius), Yellow-flowering Beach Lupine (Lupinus arboreus), and a blue-flowering lupine species (possibly Lupinus micranthus). Apparently, Deerweed was the most commonly utilized and preferred caterpillar food. All of the above foodplants are much more widespread than was the Xerces Blue: Deerweed, for example, occurs throughout the California coastal foothills. Close relatives of the Xerces Blue utilize Deerweed and various lupine species at many locations in the western United States. It appears that geographic isolation and climate, rather than food-plant specialization, limited Xerces to the San Francisco Peninsula. "When the tiny wings of the last Xerces blue butterfly ceased to flutter. . . our world grew quieter by a whisper and duller by a hue. "  Glaucopsyche lygdamus xerces (upper-side) - Field Museum, Chicago  (under-side variations) - California Academy of Science What's in a Name? A Historical note: Xerxes (the 'c' is replaced by an 'x' and pronounced with a hard 'ks' sound in English) was king of Persia from 486 to 465 BC. A great deal of history revolves around the king and his reign that ended in his murder and in-family fighting that killed several of his heirs. The French entomologist Boisduval named the butterfly for King Xerxes, but retained the French spelling, Xerces. Extinction may not always have to be forever: Contrary to the popular conservation aphorism, extinction may not always have to be forever. Occasionally, the thoughtful reintroduction of an organism closely related to an extinct type can result in the functional reconstruction of the animal or plant thought to be lost in toto. The conditions permitting such a Lazarus act are rare, and their employment raises all sorts of philosophical questions. Still, reestablishment of species through their near relatives in restored habitats may be an act worth considering in some cases. I would like to nominate the Xerces Blue as a candidate for radical genetic reconstitution. Resurrection Blue butterfly of the Presidio, Vanished and mourned as extinct. Wondrously, could it reappear, Fluttering light in the grass. Et resurrexit tertia die Et ascendit in coelum Iterum venturus est cum gloria Glaucopsyche lydamus xerces. "They . . . are simply the littlest of things that run the World. " The USA and the World - What is left? The United States is home to some 700 species of butterflies; 14 of them are listed as endangered or threatened by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Gone forever are the Xerces Blue, Sthenele Satyr, Pheres Blue, Strohbeen's Parnassius, and the Atossa Fritillary. Worldwide, the World Conservation Union cites 332 butterflies as being in trouble. But population data for most of the 20,000 known butterfly species is scant to nonexistent, and recent surveys in the Amazon River Basin suggest that another 2,000 species have yet to be discovered. We have no idea how many butterfly species are lost as we say goodbye to an acre of rain-forest with every heartbeat. The Great Spirit surely weeps: Psychologists have not begun to ponder the emotional toll of the loss of fellow life. Nor have theologians reckoned the spiritual impoverishment that extinction brings. To forget what we had is to forget what we have lost. And to forget what we have lost means never knowing what we had to begin with. That would be among the greatest tragedies of all. - Mark Jerome Walters, Program Director for Environment, Nathan Cummings Foundation in New York City www.kuhmann.com/Butterfly/Glaucopsyche%20lygdamus%20xerces.htm |
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Post by another specialist on Dec 9, 2008 20:13:18 GMT
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Post by koeiyabe on Nov 28, 2015 18:54:45 GMT
 "Living Things Vanished from the Earth (in Japanese)" by Toshio Inomata (1993) with Dawson's Caribou, Sea Mink, and general wolf. |
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Post by koeiyabe on Dec 19, 2015 16:30:44 GMT
 "The Earth Extinct Entomological Chronicles (in Japanese)" by Toshio Inomata (1988) |
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Post by surroundx on Mar 26, 2016 9:07:14 GMT
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Post by Melanie on Aug 23, 2017 20:59:41 GMT
The Xerces Blue is a small, brightly colored butterfly characterized by iridescent blue on the upper wing surfaces of males, and pale spots below. Originally described in 1852, it was endemic to, and once locally common, in the coastal sand dunes of the upper San Francisco Peninsula, including sites now within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The butterfly preferred stabilized, sandy sites where its low-growing larval host plant occurred. It was of particular interest to lepidopterists, as populations of the butterfly displayed extensive variation on their wing patterns resulting in several named forms. Unfortunately, growing urban development resulted in extensive disturbance and loss of habitat. By the early 1940s the Xerces Blue was driven to extinction, becoming one of the first and most well-known butterflies in the United States lost due to human impact. Today, the Florida Museum of Natural History’s McGuire Center is one of only a few U.S. institutions with specimens of the Xerces Blue. The butterfly’s extinction inspired the foundation of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in 1971, and in a very real sense, ushered in a renewed contemporary emphasis on the conservation of insects and their habitats. Jaret Daniels Director, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity Florida Museum of Natural History www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/100years/xerces-blue/ |
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Post by Melanie on Jul 21, 2021 21:06:51 GMT
Museum genomics reveals the Xerces blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) was a distinct species driven to extinction Felix Grewe , Marcus R. Kronforst , Naomi E. Pierce and Corrie S. Moreau Published:21 July 2021https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0123 Abstract The last Xerces blue butterfly was seen in the early 1940s, and its extinction is credited to human urban development. This butterfly has become a North American icon for insect conservation, but some have questioned whether it was truly a distinct species, or simply an isolated population of another living species. To address this question, we leveraged next-generation sequencing using a 93-year-old museum specimen. We applied a genome skimming strategy that aimed for the organellar genome and high-copy fractions of the nuclear genome by a shallow sequencing approach. From these data, we were able to recover over 200 million nucleotides, which assembled into several phylogenetically informative markers and the near-complete mitochondrial genome. From our phylogenetic analyses and haplotype network analysis we conclude that the Xerces blue butterfly was a distinct species driven to extinction. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0123 |
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Post by Melanie on Apr 28, 2023 17:58:51 GMT
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