Butterflies that are Endangered, Threatened, and of Special Concern in Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Entomology, The Ohio State UniversityFour butterflies are endangered in Ohio. Three of these, Erynnis persius (Scudder), Incisalia irus (Godart), and Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov, are restricted to the Oak Openings and use Lupinus perennis L. as the larval host. These species require early successional habitats and have probably declined since fire was eliminated as a factor in the ecology of the Oak Openings. The fourth endangered species, Calepbelis muticum McAlpine, is currently known from two fens in west-central Ohio. The single threatened species, Boloria selene (Denis and Shiffermuller) was once widespread in Ohio, but is now known from only three or four counties. Species of special concern occupy very limited ranges (Pyrgus centaureae wyandot [Edwards}, Euchloe olympia [Edwards], Satyrium edwardsii [Grote and Robinson], and Speyeria idalia [Drury]). Extirpated species include Neonympha mitchellii French, Pieris napi L., and Speyeria diana (Cramer). Several species {Erynnis lucilius {Scudder and Burgess], Amblyscirtes belli Freeman, Pontia protodice [Boisduval and LeConte], Erora laeta [W. H. Edwards], Lycaena epixanthe [Boisduval and LeConte], and Phyciodes pascoensis Wright) are vaguely recorded from Ohio, but could be very rare residents deserving protected status once more of their biology is known. Two major threats to butterfly diversity in Ohio are identifiable. Uncontrolled succession in the Oak Openings may eliminate those species that require the unique, early successional communities found there. Widespread insecticide application for gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar [L.]) control in southern Ohio could negatively impact sensitive butterfly populations and other sensitive anthropods