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1956
The Lepidopterists' News
107
A COLLECTION OF RHOPALOCERA FROM THE WHITESHELL FOREST RESERVE, MANITOBA
by Charles D. Bird
During 1954 and 1955 the writer collected both Rhopalocera and Heterocera at Red Rock Lake in the Whiteshell Forest Reserve, near Rennie in the southeast corner of Manitoba.
All specimens were taken within a ten mile radius of Red Rock Lake. This area is situated in the Canadian Shield and is dominated by numerous rock outcrops, rock ridges, frequent acid bogs, and many small lakes. The dominant trees are Black Spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP), Larch (Larix laricina (DuRoi) K.Koch), Aspen-poplar (Populus tremuloides Michx.) Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), and Paper Birch (Betula papyrtfera Marsh.).
This portion of Manitoba is of great interest as it has been poorly collected and because it is a meeting-ground for eastern and western as well as nothern and southern forms. The latter feature is especially well shown by this list.
During these two summers, the following were collected:
PAPILIONID./E. — Papilio glaucus canadensis R. & J.
PIERID^E. — Euchloe ausonides Bdv., Colias eurythenie Bdv., C. philodice Latr., C. interior Scud., Pieris rapce L., P. napi L.
SATYRID^. — Lethe portlandia Fabr., L. eurydice Joh., Euptychia cymela Cramer, CEneis macounii Edw.
NYMPHALID./E. — Euptoieta claudia Cramer, Speyeria atlantis Edw., S. cybele Fabr., S. aphrodite Fabr., Boloria selene atrocostalis Huard, B. toddi Holland, Melitcea nycteis reversa Cherm. & Cherm., Phyciodes tharos Drury. Poly-gonia satyrus Edw., P. faunus Edw., P. progne Cramer, Nymphalis j-album Bdv. & Lee, N. milberti Latr., N. antiopa L., Vanessa virginiensis Drury, Limenitis arthemis rubrofasciata B. & Mc D., L. archippus Cramer.
LYOENID^E. — Strymon titus Fabr., S. acadica Edw., S. liparops Bdv. & Lee, Incisalia augustinus Westwood, /. niphon clarki T.N. Freeman, Feniseca tarquinius Fabr., Lyccena epixanthe Bdv. & Lee, L. dorcas Kirby, Everes comytas Godart (or E.amyntula Bdv.), Lycceides argyrognomon scudderii Edw., Glau-copsyche lygdamus Doubleday, Lyca^nopsis argiolus L.
HESPERIID^E. — Thorybes pylades Scud., Pyrgus centaurece freija Warren (or loki Evans), Erynnis icelus Scud. & Burg., Hesperia leonardus Harris, H. laurentina Lyman, Poanes hobomok Harris, Amblyscirtes hegon Scud.
RHOPALOCERA OF SPECIAL INTEREST
Feniseca tarquinius was represented by only one specimen, a newly emerged male taken on 15 June 1954. This is believed to be the third record of this butterfly from Manitoba. The first was collected by Mr. Wallis in the Sandilands
108
BIRD: Whiteshell Reserve
Vol.10: nos.3-4
Forest Reserve and is recorded in Brooks' (1942) check list. The second specimen was captured by Mr. C. S. QUELCH on 5 June 1954 in the Sandilands Forest Reserve.
Lyccena epixanthe is a completely unrecorded butterfly for Manitoba and is not mentioned in any of the early lists of Manitoban butterflies {i.e. Wallis 1921, Brodie 1929, Brooks 1942). It was first discovered while collecting in a rather open Larch bog where the presumed food plant, Vaccinium oxycoccos L. was found in some quantity. The writer and Dr. A. B. KLOTS, collecting together, also found Lyccena dorcas flying with it.
Three males of CEneis macounii were collected on 20 June 1954 and one female on 26 June 1954. This is a definite range extension as BROOKS (1942) records it only from Victoria Beach some sixty-five miles to the northwest.
The capture of a specimen of Pyrgus centaur ece freija (or loki) on 13 June 1954 is quite notable. According to Brooks' (1942) list, it has been recorded only from Churchill and Gillam, both far to the north. Correspondence with Mr. WALTER Krivda of The Pas indicates that he has taken it there also, though he remarks that it is quite a rarity. As this was such a range extension the specimen was sent to Dr. A. B. Klots for identification.
Few subspecies names have been given, owing to the uncertain status of many subspecies in this more or less borderline zone between various faunas. The Speyeria and Boloria, for example, could not be clearly allocated to any named subspecies or stage in a clinical population.
Specimens representing these records have been deposited in The American Museum of Natural History and the Entomological Laboratory at Brandon, Manitoba, where they can be studied by future workers on distribution and geographic variation.
Thanks are due to Dr. A. B. Klots, Dr. R. D. Bird, Dr. J. C. Ritchie, and Mr. J. B. Wallis for carefully reading this manuscript and for offering many helpful suggestions.
References
Brodie, H. J., 1929. A preliminary list of the Lepidoptera of Manitoba. Trans. Royal
Canad. Inst. 17: 81-101. Brooks, G. S., 1942. A check list of the butterflies of Manitoba. Canad. Ent. 74: pp. 31-36. Wallis, J. B., 1921. A colour key to the Manitoban butterflies. Nat. Hist. Soc. Manitoba
Publ.: pp. 10-40,
1930 Rosser Ave., Brandon, Man., CANADA