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Conservation Assessment of
Satyrium polingi organensis (Ferris)
Year 1 Report
to New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
pursuant to contract # 125160000 00037
Steven J. Cary, Linda S. DeLay and John J. Pfeil
Natural Resource Institute
Santa Fe, New Mexico
December 3, 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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List of Figures
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Acknowledgements
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Introduction
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Study Area
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Methods
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Results
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Distribution of Satyrium polingi organensis .
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Life History
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Ecosystem Services
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Population Structure of Satyrium polingi organensis
Dispersal of Satyrium polingi organensis .
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Vulnerability .
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Threats
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Future Work .
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Literature Cited
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Ventral view of Satyrium polingi .
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Figure 2. Study area for Satyrium polingi organensis
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Figure 4. A small stringer of shrub live oak (Quercus turbinella) .
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Figure 5. Distribution of Quercus turbinella in North America
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Figure 6. Distribution of Quercus turbinella in New Mexico
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Figure 7. Expected annual life cycle of Satyrium polingi organensis
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Figure 8. Occurrence of interior chaparral and oak in relation to past fires .
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Figure 3. Locations of SPO adults observed during this study
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of White Sands Missile Range Botanist David
Anderson and San Andres National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife Biologist Mara Weisenberger,
without whose support and assistance this project could not have been undertaken and from
whom we learned much. Funding was through NMDGF Share with Wildlife and USFWS State
Wildlife Grants T-32-P-3, Project 5.
Cover: Male Satyrium polingi organensis (Ferris) perching for females atop a Quercus turbinella plant in the
Mockingbird Mountains, Socorro County, NM, June 6, 2012, by S. J. Cary.
Introduction
Poling's Hairstreak, Satyrium polingi (W. Barnes & Benjamin), is a thumbnail-size butterfly
(Figure 1) that occupies parts of the Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico, west Texas
and northeast Mexico (www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Satyrium-polingi). Across this
geographic range its habitats are defined by the presence of desert-adapted live oaks (Quercus
spp.) occupying habitats spanning elevations of 5500 to 7000 feet above sea level in Chihuahuan
Desert mountain ranges. Exhibiting classic basin-and-range physiography, those semi-arid
mountain ranges occur in narrow, linear uplifts separated from other similar mountain ranges by
broad, arid lowlands that lack oaks. Conservation concerns for S. polingi in New Mexico were
first expressed more than 20 years ago (Cary and Holland 1992). Conservation organizations
weighed S. polingi's habitat and occurrence and concluded it was "imperiled"
(www.natureserve.org/explorer; Vaughan and Shepherd 2005).
Figure 1. Ventral view of Satyrium polingi. Photo June 6, 2012, by S. J. Cary.
S. polingi (SP henceforth) has two described subspecific races; the nominate race S. p. polingi
(SPP henceforth) occupies northern Mexico, west Texas and the Guadalupe Mountains of
southeast New Mexico. When Ferris (1980) published the discovery of a population of S.
polingi from the Organ Mountains in Doña Ana County of south-central New Mexico, he
enumerated several phenotypic differences from other known colonies of that species in the
Davis and Chisos mountains of west Texas. He christened this new race subspecies organensis
(SPO henceforth). Over the past 30+ years since Ferris (1980), sparse field work has not
documented occurrence of SPO beyond the oak shrublands ringing the Organ Mountains.
Despite a lack of detailed published information about this organism, its limited known
occurrence prompted NatureServe to characterize its conservation status as "critically imperiled"
(e.g., www.natureserve.org/explorer). The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
(NMDGF 2006) declared SPO to be a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN).
The Share with Wildlife (SwW) program of NMDGF funded this study to analyze its biology,
habitat, distribution and threats, and to develop a conservation assessment for SPO. By
conducting field investigations supported by a geographic information system (GIS) and analysis
of remote sensing imagery, we proposed to survey for additional suitable habitat and
populations, from which we would develop a conservation assessment for this SPO. The report
below summarizes accomplishments for Year 1 of this study. Year 2 Action Items are
highlighted within the report, then summarized at the end.
Study Area
Prior to this project, all known occurrences of SPO were associated with oak scrublands ringing
the Organ Mountains a few miles east of Las Cruces, NM, at latitude 32.35º N (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Study area for Satyrium polingi organensis.
Three circumstances suggested to the authors that SPO also may occur farther to the north: (1) in
southeast New Mexico nominate SPP extends north as far as the Capitan Mountains at 33.55° N
latitude (Toliver et al. 2001:254); (2) there are no obvious barriers to northward dispersal of SPO
to the San Andres Mountains; and (3) the San Andres Mountains are populated by stands of
shrub oak similar to those in the Organ Mountains (Muldavin 2004). Year 1 of this study
investigated lands and habitats in the San Andres and Oscura Mountains for evidence of SPO.
Geology
The San Andres Mountains extend about 75 miles (120 km) north to south, but are only about 12
miles (19 km) wide at their widest. The highest peak in the San Andres Mountains is Salinas
Peak which is just under 9000 feet (2743 m).
Though nearly contiguous with the Organ Mountains to the south, the two are very distinct
geologically and botanically. The Oscura Mountains to the north are separated from the San
Andres Mountains by Mockingbird Gap and the much lower Little Burro Mountains. The San
Andres Mountains are comparatively dry and do not support any extensive woodlands.
The San Andres Mountains form part of the eastern edge of the rift valley of the Rio Grande, and
are made up of west-dipping fault blocks made primarily of San Andres Formation limestone,
but also with extensive exposures of reddish Abo Formation sandstone on the western side, and
quartz monzonite on the eastern side (Kottlowski 1955). Gypsum deposits washed from these
mountains are the main source of the dunes in White Sands National Monument.
Land Ownership & Access
This study was implemented primarily on lands owned and managed by White Sands Missile
Range (WSMR), part of the U. S. Department of Defense (USDOD) and the nation's largest
military installation. The mission of WSMR is to provide "Army, Navy, Air Force, DoD, and
other customers with high quality services for experimentation, test, research, assessment,
development, and training in support of the Nation at war"
(www.wsmr.army.mil/WWA/Pages/MissionVision.aspx).
This study also was conducted on lands managed by San Andres National Wildlife Refuge
(SANWR), a unit of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). SANWR was created in
1941 and now provides crucial habitat for desert bighorn sheep. SANWR lands lie wholly
within and also under the coordinated jurisdiction of WSMR.
There is no routine public access to WSMR or to SANWR. In 2012, SANWR wildlife biologist
Mara Weisenberger and WSMR botanist David Anderson helped NRI staff obtain the permits,
up-range access passes, and gate combinations needed to legally access WSMR and SANWR.
Within much of WSMR, the road system is adequate to provide 4WD, high-clearance access to
many areas, with some hiking involved. Most SANWR lands are rugged, with fewer, more
challenging roads and more foot travel required. Dr. Anderson and Ms. Weisenberger
generously assisted NRI staff in accessing study sites.
Year 2 Action Item: Identify, secure and evaluate public documents from WSMR and SANWR
describing land and resource management activities on SPO habitat areas.
Methods
Two primary objectives of Year 1 of this study were to demonstrate occurrence of SPO in the
San Andres Mountains, define its occurrence in some detail, and identify the species of oak with
which it was associated. The best way to find SPO is to locate and examine stands of the shrub
oak upon which the butterfly depends. Shrub live oak (Quercus turbinella = QUTU) was
suspected to be the primary host plant for SPO, based on anecdotal information. The task of
locating QUTU stands was simplified by prior efforts of Muldavin (2004), who mapped
vegetation types in the study area. One type they mapped was "interior chaparral" which had a
high proportion of oak, primarily QUTU. Areas mapped as interior chaparral were further
refined in conversations with WSMR botanist David Anderson, whose 25 years of field
experience at WSMR enabled him to pinpoint several known locations with high concentrations
of QUTU.
Thus guided, we investigated study area locales with high concentrations of interior chaparral,
looking for the QUTU component. Once a respectable QUTU stand had been identified, field
staff walked through the stand at a slow, steady rate, looking for SPO, recording habitat
information and taking photos as we went along. Sites where SPO was found were mapped.
SPO individuals were observed for behavioral information. Oak patches and SPO locations were
mapped using a Garmin GPSMAP 76CSx (median precision = 3m), a Trimble GeoXT (median
precision = 1m), or a Trimble Juno SB (median precision = 3m). ESRI ArcGIS 10 software was
used to map and analyze the data (awarded by ESRI Nonprofit Organization Program, 2012).
Results
Distribution of Satyrium polingi organensis
Prior to this study, published information regarding geographic distribution of SPO was limited
to the handful of Organ Mountains locations where the insect was first collected in 1979 (Toliver
et al. 2001) or cited in the original description of this insect (Ferris 1980). 2012 field work
funded by SwW allowed NRI to locate SPO in three new locations: one near San Augustin Pass,
one east of Quartzite Mountain, and a third in the Mockingbird Hills at the north end of the San
Andres Mountains, as indicated by the red dots in Figure 3.
We failed to find SPO at some locations we investigated, indicated by black dots in Figure 3.
Most of these "failures" occurred during the second week of June 2012, which fell within the
normal expected flight season for SPO adults. But winter of 2011-2012 was mild, leading to an
early spring, which may have accelerated larval development and triggered adult flight earlier
than anticipated. As a result, those black dots in Figure 3 may represent simple bad timing on
our part, rather than actual absence of the insect that year. As the old saying goes, "absence of
evidence is not evidence of absence."
Figure 3. Locations of SPO adults observed during this study to date, and historically.
Year 2 Action Items: Return in 2013 to some sites that were "no SPO" in 2012. Investigate the
possibility that SPO occurs farther north and farther south than is now documented. QUTU is
reported from Sevilleta NWR in Socorro Co., nearly 60 miles to the north (Muldavin et al. 1998),
but no one has looked for SP there. QUTU is reported to be well-represented in the Franklin
Mountains north of El Paso, TX (Powell 1988), and SP is reported from El Paso County, but in a
generic way that lacks data about when and where it was found, by whom, and which subspecies
it was (www.butterfliesandmoths.org).
Life History
The life history details for SPO are still only minimally known, and we hope to learn more about
that in Year 2 of the study. SPO life history probably mimics that of SPP, and perhaps closely
resembles life histories of other members of the subgenus Fixsenia except for the species of oak
used. We will borrow from studies of those related taxa to structure our Year 2 life history
inquiries for SPO.
The genus Satyrium Scudder is now considered to have several subgenera, including subgenus
Fixsenia Tutt, which was treated as a full genus at the time Ferris (1980) described organensis.
Within Fixsenia, all known North American taxa use one or more oaks (Quercus spp.) as host
plants. SPP in west Texas feeds on Gray Oak (Q. grisea or QUGR) and possibly Emory Oak (Q.
emoryi or QUEM) to its larvae (Reinthal and Kendall 1962). Satyrium favonius uses Quercus
undulata in northeast New Mexico (S. J. Cary, pers. obs.). Satyrium ilavia uses QUTU in
Arizona (J. P. Brock, pers. comm.). QUTU, QUGR and QUEM are all evergreen, live-oaks, in
which last year's leaves are pushed off by each year's new foliar growth.
When SPO was first described, Ferris (1980) found it always in association with shrubby oaks:
"Several species or varietal forms of scrub oak occur in the Organs, and the butterflies did not
seem to be restricted to any one kind." Anecdotal reports from recent workers in the Organ
Mountains (G. S. Forbes, pers. com.) suggested that SPO there may be associated with QUTU,
but there had been no authoritative botanical confirmation of the identity of that plant. Field
work to date has produced strong evidence that SPO uses Quercus turbinella as a host plant. All
SwW project observations of SPO in 2012 were in close association with QUTU, as confirmed
by WSMR staff botanist David Anderson (pers. com., 2012).
Quercus turbinella Greene is a "widespread and relatively abundant species" in New Mexico,
growing as a shrub or small tree to heights up to 3m (Carter 1997: 305). Living from elevations
of 4,000 to 8000 feet, QUTU can live in deserts, grasslands, and piñon-juniper woodlands
(Carter 1997: 305). In the study area, QUTU grows in stands of variable extent and density,
usually on footslopes of desert mountains (see Figure 4). Vegetation mapping at WSMR found
QUTU to be an important component of the interior chaparral plant association (Muldavin 2004).
QUTU blooms in spring, usually April to June (www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quetur/),
and produces an acorn fruit. The blossoms and developing seeds may be important food for
larval stages of SPO.
Figure 4. A small stringer of shrub live oak (Quercus turbinella), the gray-green shrubs, extends
from right foreground to left middle ground in lower Little San Nicholas Canyon, SANWR. S. J.
Cary photo, June 12, 2012.
The geographic range of SPO appears to be quite restricted, especially when compared against
the range of the larval host plant it uses in our study area, Quercus turbinella. QUTU occurs
broadly across the American Southwest, from Texas to California, and probably across a large
part of Mexico. Distribution of QUTU is shown in Figures 5 and 6.
Figure 5. Distribution of Quercus turbinella in North America (from
(http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=qutu2).
Figure 6. Distribution of Quercus turbinella in New Mexico (from
(http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=qutu2).
The life cycle for SPO is not known in detail, but it probably bears a close resemblance to the life
cycles of other species in the genus Satyrium. The hypothetical sequence exhibited in Figure 7 is
what we expect for SPO because it is experienced by Satyrium favonius and S. ilavia
(http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/), both of which occur in New Mexico. In general, SP
requires one year to complete its life cycle; most of that time is spent in immature stages. Adults
are in flight from late mid-May to mid-June, but each individual adult has only about two weeks
to find a mate and complete its life cycle. To locate females, males perch on the tops of host
oaks, usually about 2m off the ground, where they can easily see females. After mating, females
place eggs on QUTU twigs. Ova enter diapause immediately, pass through autumn and winter,
then hatch in spring when QUTU is in bloom and young larvae can feed on nutritious buds and
catkins. Larvae complete development and pupate by early May. It is not known where
pupation occurs, but we suspect mature larvae crawl down the plant stems to pupate in litter and
shallow soil at the base of host oaks. Nor is it known where pupation occurs. Allen et al. (2005)
indicate the larva for SPO has never been documented; the pupa probably also remains
undocumented.
Figure 7. Expected annual life cycle of Satyrium polingi organensis.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Adult
Pupa
Larva
Ovum
There are some uncertainties or potential variations in this model for SPO. Whether QUTU
produces flowers in spring probably depends on the amount of moisture received the previous
winter. After a very dry winter, there may be no QUTU catkins and SPO eggs may decide to
remain dormant for another year. In southwest Texas, SPP has an occasional or partial second
brood flying in August and September (http://cdri.org/research-conservation/research-at-thecdri/butterfly-monitoring-projects/polings-hairstreak-watch/), perhaps triggered by an occasional
strong summer monsoon. This phenomenon has not yet been reported for SPO and its
investigation is beyond the scope of field activities for this study.
Year 2 Action Item: Investigate and document immature stages of the SPO life cycle.
Ecosystem Services
Lepidoptera generally perform three important ecosystem roles: they are herbivores, pollinators,
and food items for predators. Herbivory occurs in a lepidopteran's larval stage and the menu of
suitable plants varies among different butterfly and moth species. Some consume members of
multiple plant families; others are family specific herbivores; yet others are narrowed to a genus
or a few species. A few are restricted to a single plant species and this appears (so far) to be true
for SPO, although SPP uses other species of plants within the same genus (Quercus). It is worth
noting that within the range of SPO, QUTU is the most prevalent species of Quercus, and that is
the oak SPO uses. In comparison, QUTU is infrequent in southeast New Mexico and west
Texas, where SPP, the local race of SP, utilizes QUGR which prevails there (Reinthal and
Kendall 1962). So SP as a species has some flexibility in which oak it uses. That same
flexibility applies up one taxonomic level to the subgenus Satyrium (Fixsenia), whose various
taxa all utilize shrubby (and mostly evergreen) oaks. Other oak species are used by nominate SP
elsewhere, and those same oaks are present on WSMR or SANWR.
Year 2 Action Item: Investigate other oak species as potential larval host plants for SPO.
Predation and parasitism also tend to occur primarily in a lepidopteran's immature stages, when
they cannot flee. At this point, little is known about potential parasites and predators of SPO.
Year 2 Action Item: Identify potential parasites and predators of SPO adults and immatures.
The role of SPO adults as potential pollinators for flowering plants is only partially understood at
this point. Butterflies can be important pollen vectors for plants as they move from flower to
flower seeking nectar. Hairstreaks like SPO are pretty reliable flower visitors. Most adult
butterflies are opportunistic feeders and will get nectar from whichever plants are convenient.
Of course, that must be a plant that blooms when the SPO adults are in flight. SPO and other
hairstreaks typically have a short proboscis and therefore can only access nectar from flowers
with short corolla tubes.
Ferris (1980) reported SPO nectaring at antelope-horn milkweed (Asclepias asperula) as well as
an unnamed white-flowered shrub. Our 2012 field studies encountered conditions in which there
seemed to be plenty of flowers and available nectar near QUTU patches and SPO sightings, but
no flower visitation was observed, despite effort invested searching flower patches. In the
Guadalupe Mountains in the 1980s (S. Cary, unpubl. field notes), SPP was observed to nectar at
Texas beargrass (Nolina texana). In Texas, SPP is known to visit antelope-horn milkweed
(Asclepias asperula) in the Davis Mountains of Texas (http://cdri.org/) and in the Chisos
Mountains (www.butterfliesofamerica.com/satyrium_p_polingi_live1.htm). SPP also visits other
unidentified plants (e.g., www.martinreid.com/Butterfly%20website/leps103.html;
http://www.naba.org/images/lycaenidae/theclinae/satyrium_polingi/). Given the frequency with
which A. asperula appears in SP photos or reports, further study may be warranted as to whether
SP is an important pollinator for A. asperula.
QUTU, the larval host for SPO, is wind pollinated and does not rely on pollen transfer by SPO or
any other insects.
Year 2 Action Item: Investigate flower visitation by SPO adults.
Population Structure
Based on all observations to date, a basic population structure for SPO is taking shape. Within
its range in south-central New Mexico, SPO appears to exist as a metapopulation, which is
defined as a collection of smaller, discrete colonies which persist over time by maintaining a
balance between extinction and re-establishment of component colonies. Harrison (1991)
refined that classical view to delineate three different types of metapopulations found to exist in
nature:
(1) Mainland-island or source-sink populations have a single extinction-resistant population
which sustains the metapopulation.
(2) Patchy populations have high dispersal rates which allow the system to function as a
single extinction-resistant population.
(3) Non-equilibrium populations are those in which local extinctions occur as part of longterm decline of a species.
A metapopulation that occupies a linear range is somewhat handicapped because reestablishment of most individual colonies can occur from only two points of the compass. In
contrast, consider a metapopulation that is more circular in plan view; interior colonies can be recolonized from all directions; even perimeter colonies can be reached from 180º of the compass.
A linear population is almost all "edge;" it has a high ratio of perimeter to area. Colonies at each
end of a linear metapopulation can be reached from only one direction.
Dispersal Capability
Metapopulations persist only if gravid females can successfully disperse among different habitat
patches to re-colonize patches where local colonies were previously lost. Successful dispersal of
that kind hinges on (a) the physical ability to fly required distances and (b) the behavioral
motivation to make such flights. Evidence available to the PI prior to this present study
suggested that SPO adults rarely wander more than a few meters from stands of the host oak.
Although SPO appears to be a moderately capable flyer, it is of small size and its behavior seems
to focus on locating mates within already-occupied oak stands rather than long-distance or wideranging flights to locate new oak stands.
Based on the PI's observations of SPP in the Guadalupe Mountains of west Texas during the wet
years of 1986-1988, dispersal of SP between habitat patches may be confined to those years
when conditions are excellent for SP. For example, if there are one or more consecutive years
when
 QUTU are healthy and flower profusely,
 SP larvae have a high rate of success,
 resulting adults are numerous, and
 plenty of nectar spans the landscape,
then
 adult male SP must compete for territories among the oaks, prompting some to search
more widely, and
 mated female SP have incentives to disperse and seek oak stands where there the SP egg
load on QUTU twigs is low.
If this model is correct, then years could elapse in which existing colonies of SP simply maintain
themselves, or perhaps some even are lost. Then, during periods of unknown frequency
(probably infrequent) or duration (probably short duration), SP is able to span distances to find
new or unoccupied QUTU stands and rejuvenate the metapopulation. Many years may elapse
before this hypothesis can be tested.
SP occurs within an area of basin and range physiography, in which desert mountain ranges that
host SP are separated from each other by large basins of inhospitable conditions that do not
support oaks or SP. Continuity or connectivity between uplands is poor in the east-west axis, but
better along a north-south axis. A dispersal model for the SP might include three tiers of
probability and three layers of meta-population:
1. Within an occupied mountain range, SP dispersal is frequent enough to maintain the
meta-population in that range.
2. SP dispersal between uplands that have small (often north-south) disjunctions is
sufficient to maintain the meta-population that constitutes that subspecies.
3. SP dispersal between uplands having large (often east-west) disjunctions is inadequate to
maintain reproductive continuity.
Populations on opposites sides of such barriers in item 3 above are differentiating and on paths to
speciation. Satyrium ilavia and S. polingi are evidence of a past separation event where Rio
Grande Rift was the barrier. The Tularosa Basin is stimulating differentiation between SPO and
SPP. Very likely, S. favonius of eastern US was part of a similar pair created by a barrier before
that. DNA analyses could shed light on this hypothesis.
Vulnerability
SPO persists as a single metapopulation by capitalizing on discrete host plant stands occupying
acceptable habitats within the 140-km span from the Organ Mountains to the Mockingbird
Mountains, at the north end of the San Andres chain. Do adults of both genders, particularly
females, exhibit a dispersal capability sufficient to maintain this metapopulation? This capability
seems inadequate for SPO to establish reproductive contact with any other known populations of
SP, the nearest of which is about 90 km distant to the east across the forbidding Tularosa Basin.
Colonies that may be lost within its current range will not be re-established from anywhere
except from within its current range. Does this make SPO potentially vulnerable to deterioration,
extirpation or extinction?
Year 2 Action Item: Think more about SPO vulnerabilities.
Threats
Given the above vulnerabilities, it is important to identify potential threats to persistence of SPO
and to evaluate the seriousness of those threats. Potential threats to this population include direct
and indirect threats. Potential direct threats to the butterfly include:
 pesticide spraying for insect control,
 WSMR mission impacts on stands of the host plant, and
 over-collecting for private or commercial gain.
Assuming existing ownership patterns continue indirect threats to its habitat or stands of host oak
include:
 range management for other species, disfavoring host oaks,
 grazing damage to host oak by exotic ungulates,
 alteration of fire regimes in ways that adversely impact persistence of oak stands,
 WSMR mission impacts on stands of the host plant, and
 warming climate that may force host oaks to relocate.
Insecticide Application
Insecticide spraying can be a threat to any insect
(http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=2111). Fortunately, much of the project area is
managed in a way that does not make insect populations targets of direct manipulation, for
example, with insecticides. Unless and until that policy changes, which is unlikely, SPO
colonies are not at risk from this activity.
Over-utilization for Commercial, Recreation, Science, or Education
Over-collecting is a concern for some insects, particularly butterflies, which may be highly
sought after for their beauty, especially if rare (USFWS 2004). Federal listing could increase the
publicity and interest in a species’ rarity, and thus may directly increase the value and demand
for specimens (Ehrlich 1989). Fortunately, many sites occupied by SPO pose human access
challenges varying from mild to severe. SPO as a whole probably is not threatened by overcollecting at this time, but land managers may want to monitor collecting interest and activities.
If the species becomes highly desired and sought after, publicly accessible populations on BLM
lands in the Organ Mountains would be easy targets.
Exotic Invasive Species
Year 2 Action Item: Think more about invasive species.
Ungulate Grazing
Native ungulates include mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and desert bighorn sheep (Ovis
canadensis nelsoni). Domestic livestock (angora goats) grazing in the historic period. African
oryx (Oryx gazella) has been introduced for big game hunters. Observations during the 2012 in
areas on WSMR with known angora goat ranches in historic times, led us to believe that
overgrazing created a dense cover of acacia in the canyons. From our cursory look, no oaks were
observed in those areas.
Year 2 Action Item: Think more about ungulate grazing.
Fire
Fire is a fundamental ecological disturbance process governing desert chaparral plant
communities and their individual plant species. Characteristics of wildfires, including their
frequency, intensity, temperature, and mechanics, place significant selective pressures on
affected plants and animals. Each affected species has its own suite of adaptations which allow
it to persist or return. Disturbances created by fire are followed by a succession process in which
different plant species appear, are optimized, and then may be replaced. Herbivore species that
capitalize on those specific plants are obliged to rise and fall in abundance in accordance with the
fortunes of their host plants.
In the case of SPO, its host oaks are considered variously as climax indicators or as early seral
plants (www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quetur/all.html). QUTU is well adapted to
survive fire. After a fire in a QUTU stand, sun-loving forbs and grasses typically dominate while
QUTU re-sprouts vigorously from its root crown and rhizomes. The oak typically regains its
dominance after 5-7 years, but requires 12 or more years to realize its pre-fire stature. Natural
fire return intervals for QUTU stands elsewhere in the American Southwest have been estimated
to vary from as few as 20 years to more than 200 years
(www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/quetur/).
Though essential, fire can also be a problem when it occurs outside of its normal pattern and
character: too frequent; too infrequent; different intensity, temperature or behavior. In the study
area, fires occur under three circumstances:
 natural fires resulting from lightning strikes;
 fires prescribed to achieve resource management goals; and
 accidental human-caused fires that result from WSMR missions.
Climate change (see below) is very likely to alter natural fire regimes in the study area.
Figure 8. Occurrence of interior chaparral and oak in relation to past fires in the Mockingbird
Mountains, WSMR.
Year 2 Action Item: Investigate relationships among fire, QUTU and SPO.
Climate Change
Climate change is an ongoing process that is projected to make New Mexico warmer and drier
(NMED 2005). This is most likely to affect SPO indirectly by altering the occurrence, extent,
phenology or survivability of their host oaks, for example through an altered fire regime.
Year 2 Action Item: Think more about threats posed by climate change.
Future Work
Year 2 of this project will address the following issues to the extent possible.

Evaluate public documents from WSMR and SANWR describing land and resource
management activities in SPO habitat areas.

Look for additional extensions to geographic range of SPO.

Investigate and document immature stages of the SPO life cycle.

Investigate other oak species as potential larval host plants for SPO.

Identify potential parasites and predators of SPO adults and immatures.

Investigate flower visitation by SPO adults.

Think more about SPO vulnerabilities.

Think more about invasive species.

Think more about ungulate grazing.

Investigate relationships among fire, QUTU and SPO.

Think more about threats posed by climate change.
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