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256 Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
At 1245 h while collecting in a small forest clearing by a stream, I noticed a small blue riodinid butterfly resting beneath a leaf with wings outspread at the edge of the clearing about 3 m above the ground. I had barely captured this butterfly when another indentical individual alighted on the same spot. This butterfly was also caught. Moving along the edge of the clearing, I captured another riodinid butterfly, this time a yellow one, resting under another leaf about 4 m off the ground. All this took place within a 5 minute period. The behavior exhibited by these butterflies was typical of perching, a form of mate locating behavior employed by members of the subfamily Riodininae, in which the butterflies wait for mates at certain localities and during certain hours of the day (Callaghan, in prep.).
During a subsequent visit to the same locality on 16 September 1982, four additional males and one female were captured between the hours of 1136 and 1320. All were frequenting the same microhabitat and exhibiting the same behavior as on the previous visit.
Through consulting the descriptions and references above, I determined the butterflies to be Imelda glaucosmia terpna Stichel and Imelda mycea Hewitson.
In view of the behavior observed and the morphology of the butterflies, I conclude that terpna and mycea are male and female of the same species. First, my studies of the perching habits of riodinid butterflies have shown that the frequenting of similar perching sites at the same time by closely related male and female phenotypes is a strong indication that the two are conspecific. Secondly, there is enough similarity in the morphology of glaucosmia terpna and mycea to suggest that they are conspecific. The general pattern with the white spots on the apex of the forewing and the placement of the submarginal bands on both, as well as the marginal row of white spots on the underside of both wings is sufficient indication that the two are indeed conspecific as indicated by Thieme.
In conclusion, the name Imelda mycea mycea (Hewitson, 1865, [1852-1878], Illustrations of Diurnal Lepidoptera, vol. 1-5) refers to central Colombian material, illustrated in Figs. A, B, C and D, for which the name terpna Stichel is a synonym. The name Imelda mycea glaucosmia (Hewitson, 1870, Ecuatorial Lepidoptera, Part IV) is the designation for material from Ecuador to Southern Colombia (Huila), illustrated in Figs. E, F, G and H.
I wish to thank Dr. Keith Brown for his comments on the paper.
Curtis J. Callaghan, "Pesquisador Associado" Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Journal oj the Lepidopterists Society 37(3), 1983, 256-257
NEW AND UNUSUAL BUTTERFLY RECORDS FROM KANSAS
In June 1979, my colleagues and I (senior author) began an intensive, statewide survey of the butterflies of Kansas. Our third season (1981) was marked by an influx of immigrant species and the collecting of two species (Pyrisitia proterpia and Speyeria edwardsii) not previously reported from Kansas. Observations and collections were also made for Thes-salia fulvia and Vanessa annahella, both considered "unusual" for Kansas.
Pyrisitia proterpia (Fabricius).—Labedz took a single female (nearly perfect condition) on the Fort Hays State University campus, Hays, Ellis County on 20 October 1981. This individual was taken on a purple-flowered, ornamental Amaranthus sp. at about 1445 h. The temperature was about 70°F with a light wind and the sky was clear. Upon seeing this specimen, Rolfs recalled collecting a similar one on 3 October and of seeing
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a second "a few days later" (about 7 October). These two individuals were over a vegetable and flower garden in north Hays. No additional specimens were found despite an extensive search on following days. William Howe (pers. comm.) captured a tattered vagrant in Franklin County in October 1971 (now at LACM). These are the first reported specimens from Kansas.
Speyeria edwardsii (Reakirt).—Ely collected a male in perfect condition in Atwood, Rawlins County on 5 June 1981. It was feeding in a small patch of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) growing at the edge of a paved street at the edge of town. Nine other species were collected at this site, and we spent about 30 minutes searching, in vain, for another specimen. The weather was sunny and warm (late afternoon) with a light wind. This is the first reported Kansas specimen. The only other unusual species seen in Rawlins County on this date was a single Danaus gilippus which narrowly evaded capture at another locality.
Thessalia fulvia (W. H. Edwards).—Field (1938, A manual of the butterflies and skippers of Kansas, Bull. Univ. Kansas 39:328 pp.) reported a specimen from Rush County on 28 June 1912. Marvin D. Schwilling (pers. comm.) took three specimens (now in his private collection) in Barton County during the 1960's. Ely took a fresh but slightly damaged specimen from a truck radiator on 14 June 1980. This specimen must have been hit between Holcomb (Finney County) and Hays and we suspect closer to the latter. This was followed by multiple finds by Ely in Ellis County.
On 15 June while on a class held trip to the FHSU pasture about one mile south of Hays, he collected a single male (by hand) in moderately grazed mixed grass prairie. Next morning on a similar trip he saw several others in a nearby area, so returned after class for a more extensive search. Between 1020 h and 1100 h, seven of the 15 individuals seen along a white chalk road through the prairie were collected. They appeared to be attracted to the road since only three were found on a similar intersecting road nearby and none was seen in adjacent prairie. All seemed to be males and some seemed "territorial" in that each repeatedly returned to its same spot after being flushed. All alighted on the ground rather than on vegetation and no feeding was observed. The area was rich in flowering forbs and pioneer plants. The weather was warm and without wind.
Ely next visited the area on the 17th (1400-1420 h), a warmer day with moderate wind, and failed to find even one individual. A careful examination of the Castaleja plants in the vicinity failed to locate any larvae. On the 24th he again visited the area during mid-morning (1000-1010 h) and saw at least 10 individuals, including one feeding on Houstonia nigricans (Lan.) Fern. The area was last visited on 4 July but no fulvia were found. During this entire period all individuals were within an area of approximately 10 m x 100 m. One other specimen was taken in 1980, in similar prairie about 12V2 miles north of Hays. It was in a disturbed area where numerous chalk fragments were scattered about the surface.
On 26 May 1981 while collecting in southcentral Kansas, Ely and Rolfs found this species to be common in the sagebrush and sandsage prairie habitats at numerous localities in Comanche, Clark and Ford Counties. In sagebrush south of Clark State Fishing Lake (13 miles north of Ashland), it was exceeded in numbers only by Nathalis iole. A good series was collected, most of them as they fed at various species of yellow-flowered composites. The only specimen taken in Ellis County during 1981 was a single taken in the FHSU pasture by Guy Ernsting on 29 June.
Vanessa annabella (Field).—Field (op. cit.) reported one from Scott County on 28 October 1935. Ely collected single individuals over flower beds on the FHSU campus on 6 October 1980 and 19 October 1981. Other immigrant species recorded at Hays during summer 1981 included Mestra amymone (2), Chlosyne lacinia (15 + ), Agraulis vanillae and Phoebis sennae (4).
We wish to thank William H. Howe, who confirmed the identifications of the two state records and reviewed the manuscript.
Charles A. Ely, Marvin E. Rolfs and Thomas E. Labedz, Department of Biology, Forts Hays State University, Hays, Kansas 67601.