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1960
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
237
ESPECIALLY FOR FIELD COLLECTORS
(Under the supervision of Fred T. Thorne, 1360 Merritt Dr., El Cajon, Calif., U.S.A.)
BUTTERFLY COLLECTING IN NORTHEASTERN
NEW MEXICO
by Charles V. Covell, Jr.
In August, 1951, it was my pleasure to venture West with a group of North Carolina Explorer Scouts to Philmont Scout Ranch, situated just north of Cimarron in Colfax County, New Mexico. This camper's dream, covering 127,000 acres of rugged mountains, features hiking, horsemanship, and various camping skills. My program while there included a seven-day hike with full pack over a trail covering 105 miles through the mountains. Although this situation was a bit impractical for butterfly collecting, I was determined to take as many specimens as I could, not anticipating another trip West for some time. Consequently I was at times the laggard of the group, stopping to collect and paper the catch.
The ground covered varied in altitude from 6,500 feet above Mean Sea Level at the base of operation to 11,600 feet, the height of Clear Creek Mountain. Two mountain streams, Uracca and Rayado Creeks, provided lush valleys through which we passed (we crossed Uracca Creek over 100 times the first day) ; therefore I found an abundance of fritillaries. I regret that I took no advantage of the higher slopes, as I expected to find little there! (Please remember that I was a fifteen-year-old in my second year as a lepidopterist.) Before and after the actual hike, I was stationed at a base camp at a lower level where Pinon Pine and Scrub Oak were plentiful. Here I was able to do some collecting, getting things I did not see at the higher elevations. Now, through the aid of Colorado Butterflies by Brown, Eff and Rotger, I feel that my "take" is adequately determined for presentation here. Because of my lack of concentration upon one given collecting spot during the trek, I feel ill-qualified to comment on distribution in the area except in the case of the few species I found most common. However, I found that my observations regarding these species coincide with those of the authors of Colorado Butterflies with respect to the habit and habitats. I used this book solely for my determinations, with some help from W. D. Field of the U. S. National Museum.
My collecting on August 12 and 13, and again on August 19, represented Upper Sonoran life zone. The other dates are mostly in the Transition Zone, with perhaps a bit of Canadian thrown in. The list follows.
238
ESPECIALLY FOR COLLECTORS
Vol.14: no.4-
August 12: Papilio multicaudatus (frequent, but hard to capture)
Limenitis weidemeyeri (frequent)
Speyeria atlantis nikias (with electa common in the lower areas)
Pieris protodice
Colias eurytheme (abundant)
Nathalis iole (abundant in lowlands)
hycceides melissa (abundant) August 13; Melitcea pola arachne (on nearby peak)
Neophasia menapia (in heavy pine woods)
Pieris napi macdunnoughii (with menapia)
Euptychia dorothea
Cercyonis cetus char on (common about Scrub Oak thickets) August 14: Vanessa cardui
Polygonia hylas (common in mountain valleys)
Speyeria aphrodite ethne
Speyeria atlantis electa and nikias
Nathalis iole
Cercyonis pegala boo pis
Cercyonis cetus char on
Apodemia mormo cythera
hyccena dorcas florus
Lyccena arota schellbachi
Lycceides melissa August 16: Polygonia hylas
Nymphalis milberti
Speyeria atlantis nikias August 18: Speyeria atlantis nikias
Pieris napi macdunnoughii
Lyccena arota schellbachi August 19: Vanessa atalanta
Polygonia hylas
Zerene c<zsonia (one specimen)
Lyctena arota schellbachi
hycceides melissa
Although these twenty-three species far from represent the butterflies flying in that area during those few days, I hope that these notes will be help^ ful in building records for the state of New Mexico. Despite the myriad of other activities I was engaging in at the time, the butterfly collecting was indeed a thrill to me who was a real greenhorn to lepidopterology as well as to mountain hiking.
Dept. of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va., U. S. A.