Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Nymphalidae Rank Subspecies | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Euphydryas | |
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Similar Edith's checkerspot, Bay checkerspot butterfly, Polites mardon, Castilleja levisecta, Euphydryas | ||
Euphydryas editha taylori also known by its common name Taylor's Checkerspot is a butterfly native to an area of the Northwestern United States and Vancouver Island.
Contents
Description
The Taylor’s Checkerspot, also known as the Whulge Checkerspot, is the darkest subspecies of the Euphydryas genus. It is a subspecies of Edith's Checkerspot. This butterfly has a wing span of less than 2.25 inches (57 mm). It gets its name from the checkered color pattern on its wings that consist of black, orange and white coloring. Taylor's Checkerspot once ranged from the Willamette Valley in Oregon to Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
Conservation status
The Taylor’s Checkerspot butterfly is at extreme risk of going extinct. It was listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2013. In 2006, it was listed as State-endangered in Washington, where an active conservation program is underway. In Oregon Taylor’s checkerspot is on the Threatened and Endangered Species list, but receives no protection under state statute. Before its dramatic decline Taylor’s Checkerspot was documented at more than seventy sites, but is currently found only at twelve sites in Washington and two in Oregon. It is currently listed as endangered in Canada, owing to the recent discovery of populations on Denman Island.
Threats
The biggest threat to its survival is the loss of prairie habitat due to contemporary settlement. Since the arrival of European-Americans, more than 99% of the lowland prairies has been destroyed. The reason for this is that prairies are prime locations for agriculture as well as development of all types due to the lack of trees and flat topography. Along with habitat loss the subspecies is impacted by pesticide use that makes their plight even worse. Increased risk of harm due to drought is another major concern since they are now stuck on these patches of habitat with no chance to migrate to more suitable places.