Speyeria zerene hippolyta
| Oregon silverspot | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Speyeria |
| Species: | S. zerene |
| Subspecies: | S. z. hippolyta |
| Trinomial name | |
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Speyeria zerene hippolyta W. H. Edwards, 1879 |
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Speyeria zerene hippolyta, the Oregon silverspot, is a threatened butterfly that is found the U.S. states of California and Oregon. It is a subspecies of Speyeria zerene.
The Oregon silverspot used to inhabit suitable coastal habitat from northern California, through Oregon, into southern Washington. It can now only be found in the wild at a few remaining sites in California and Oregon. Conservation sites include Cascade Head and the Rock Creek Wilderness in Oregon. The butterfly can also be found at Mount Hebo and Clatsop Plains in Oregon and at Lake Earl in California.
In Washington, the butterfly is listed as endangered under that state's legislation, though it is now reported extirpated from this state. California and Oregon do not have endangered species statutes that allow the listing of insect species, so despite its precarious status, the Oregon silverspot has no protection in these states. It is on the Special Animals list created by the California Department of Fish and Game.
Speyeria zerene hippolyta is in a clade of three closely related subspecies. In suitable habitat along the U.S. Pacific coast, it is the northenrmost one found. Further south, Myrtle's silverspot (Speyeria zerene myrtleae) had a range along the coast from San Mateo County to Sonoma County, California, and Behren's silverspot (Speyeria zerene behrensii) had a range along the northern California coast.
The coastal habitats used by the butterfly were kept in an early successional state by high wind, salt-spray and occasional wildfires, providing the open conditions required by the hookedspur violet (Viola adunca) which is the butterfly's larval host plant. In recent years, although the winds and ocean salt spray continue to limit other vegetation growth, the wildfires have been suppressed due to modern development in this habitat. The original habitat of open meadows has, over time, been replaced by forest habitat.
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Wikipedia