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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 42(4), 1988, 291-292
GENERAL NOTES
NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORDS AND A PROBABLE NEW LARVAL HOST
PLANT FOR PHILOTES SONORENSIS (LYCAENIDAE) IN
KERN AND TULARE COUNTIES, CALIFORNIA
Additional key words: Sierra Nevada, Dudleya calcicola, Crassulaceae.
Philotes sonorensis (Felder & Felder) is of limited distribution, known only from Sierra Co. in north-central California S to Cedros Island, Baja California Norte, Mexico (John W. Brown pers. comm.). Published distribution records do not include Kern and Tulare counties, California (Langston, R. L. 1963, J. Lepid. Soc. 17:201-223; 1965, J. Lepid. Soc. 19:95-102; 1969, J. Lepid. Soc. 23:49-62; Shields, O. 1973, Bull. Allyn Mus. 15:1-16; Shapiro, A. M. 1974, Pan-Pac. Entomol. 50:442-443). Recently, P. sonorensis was discovered at scattered locations in these two counties and in the southern Sierra Nevada. New distribution records (Fig. 1) are as follows:
Kern Co.: Pleito Creek and Canyon (located nr. Mt. Pinos at S end of San Joaquin Valley), 1 8, 16 IV 81 (W. D. Patterson). Laura Peak ("Rock Tip" on some maps) in Piute Mts. E of Lake Isabella; adults found by author in canyon on S slope nr. rocky outcrops at 3600-4600 ft (1097-1402 m) elev. on this peak of 5260 ft. (1603 m), 2 S, 28 III 87; 3
Fig. 1. Map of Kern and Tulare counties, California, showing new localities for Philotes sonorensis (black dots). Triangles represent nearby mountain peaks important as reference points. Cross marks represent major cities.
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6, 29 III 87, 2 6, 14 IV 87. The latter locality is dry grassland with some junipers on steep rocky slopes. The dry streambed probably carries water for short periods following rainfall.
Tulare Co.: Canyon 1.6 km N of Lamont Peak S of Chimney Peak Road, 3 6, 10 IV 85 (K. Davenport). Canyon N of Sherman Pass Road 5.6 km E of Kern Canyon Road, 5 6, 2 IV 87 (Davenport); 1 6, 5 IV 87 (R. Meyer); 2 6, 1 2, 14 IV 87 (Davenport & K. Richers). Kern River Canyon 1 km N of Roads End at dam, in side canyon E of road, 4 6, 1 9, 2 IV 87 (Davenport); 1 6, 1 2, 5 IV 87 (Meyer); 2 6, 14 IV 87 (Davenport & Richers), 8 6, 1 2, 9 III 88 (Davenport).
The Tulare Co. colonies are in rocky canyons of limestone or granitic composition with small streams between 3000 and 5000 ft (914-1524 m) elev., in chaparral and foothill woodland.
The host plant of P. sonorensis in the southern Sierra Nevada (including Laura Peak in the Piute subrange) is likely Dudleya calcicola Bartel & Shevock (Crassulaceae), which occurs locally "on pre-Cretaceous limestones within chaparral or pinyon-juniper woodland at 850-1700 m" (Bartel, J. A. & J. R. Shevock 1983, Madrono, 30:210-216), and is limited in distribution to Kern, Tulare, and extreme SW Inyo counties (J. A. Bartel pers. comm.). Adults are closely associated with calcicola (no other Dudleya spp. present) at the new localities. All known hosts are in the genus Dudleya (Shields, O. 1973, Bull. Allyn Mus. 15:9-11). Collections and identifications of Dudleya at the new localities were made by J. F. Emmel, J. A. Bartel, and J. R. Shevock. No larvae were collected or reared, and oviposition was not observed. The discovery of Philotes sonorensis on Laura Peak was made using herbarium records of Dudleya calcicola provided by Emmel.
Eight voucher specimens of Philotes sonorensis representing each of the four new Sierran localities have been deposited in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California. Remaining specimens are in private collections.
I thank J. A. Bartel, J. W. Brown, J. F. Emmel, R. Meyer, K. Richers, J. R. Shevock, O. Shields, and W. D. Patterson for records and assistance.
Kenneth E. Davenport, 6601 Eucalyptus Dr. #325, Bakersfield, California 93306.
Received for publication 22 June 1987; accepted 16 May 1988.
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 42(4), 1988, 292-294
A MELANIC MALE OF ANTHERAEA POLYPHEMUS POLYPHEMUS (SATURNIIDAE)
Additional key words: Canada, New Brunswick, light trap.
W. B. Preston and W. B. McKillop (1979, J. Lepid. Soc. 33:147-148) summarized the known information about melanic Antheraea polyphemus polyphemus (Cramer), and published the first illustration of a melanic specimen. Our specimen appears to be the fourth ever collected.
On the night of 30 June-1 July 1986, we collected a melanic male of A. p. polyphemus on a white sheet illuminated by a 250-W M-V bulb, at the edge of a sphagnum bog in the Acadia Forest Experiment Station, 20 km E of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Dorsally, this male (Fig. 2) differs from typical A. p. polyphemus (Fig. 1) by having a dark chocolate ground color. Prothorax and costal edge of upper forewings are black so that the apical and subapical forewing spots are not discernible as distinct spots. However, the grayish lilac dash from the subapical spot toward the forewing apex is still present. In typical specimens, prothorax and costal edge are whitish gray. The blackish component of the submarginal band on fore- and hindwings is exaggerated, obliterating the pinkish shading beyond it on the hindwings but leaving it just discernible on the lower half of the forewings.