Speyeria egleis albrighti ( Gunder, 1932 )

Kohler, Steve, 2020, Review of the Speyeria egleis complex in Montana, with the description of two new subspecies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae), The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey 8 (8), pp. 1-19 : 3-4

Speyeria egleis albrighti ( Gunder, 1932)

(Figs. 23-44)

Argynnis albrighti Gunder, 1932 , Can. Entomol. 64(12): 281-282.

Argynnis albrighti Gund. ; McDunnough, 1938, Mem. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 15.

Speyeria (Speyeria) egleis albrighti (Gunder) ; dos Passos and Grey, 1947, Amer. Mus. Novit. (1370): 5, 18; dos Passos, 1964, Mem. Lepid. Soc. (1): 94.

Speyeria egleis albrighti (Gunder) ; Miller and Brown, 1981, Mem. Lepid. Soc. (2): 142; Pelham, 2008, J. Res. Lepid. 40: 318; Pelham, 2020, www. butterfliesofamerica.com/US-Can-Cat.htm.

The type locality of albrighti as stated by Gunder is, “Highwood Mts., Chouteau County, Montana ”. The type series in Gunder’s collection (now in LACM) consisted of only three specimens, the holotype male and allotype female, both collected June 24, 1931 at the type locality, and one paratype male collected July 26, 1931 at Monarch, Cascade County, Montana. Monarch is in the Little Belt Mts. south of the Highwood Mts. All three specimens were collected by C. C. Albright, for whom Gunder named this subspecies. Clifton Clarence Albright was born in Shelby, New York September 16, 1877 and moved to Montana in 1905. He died in 1946 at the age of 68. Albright, who practiced medicine in Augusta, Anaconda and Great Falls , Montana, evidently maintained a serious interest in botany and entomology. His substantial butterfly collection was donated to Montana State University, Bozeman following his retirement ( Great Falls Tribune April 8, 1946, p. 6). Some years ago, C. C. Albright’s granddaughter, Charlotte Albright (pers. corresp.), provided some additional information. “I don’t know when he started collecting, but he was certainly active in the 1920’s and 1930’s, and traded extensively with other collectors. He was an eye, ear, nose and throat doctor. By the time my father, Joe, was a teenager my grandfather was already suffering from Parkinson’s disease, so that my father and uncle did most of the collecting—the usual technique was to ride on the running board of their car and jump off after likely specimens. They would go to the Highwood and Little Belt Mountains on weekends”.

Again, the original description was brief, with focus on the heaviness of the upper side maculation and the shade of green on the under hindwing. Gunder said, “Nearest to platina Skin. from Utah and Idaho. The black designs of the upper sides are extra heavy and the light spots marking the position of the under side silver spotting, is very lightened in contrast, like those on upper side gallatini McD. In platina the green cast or shadow design is very delicate, an olive shade, while in albrighti this green is dark, heavier and the brown in conjunction is more pronounced. In female albrighti this greenish cast of design is even more developed”.

Since Gunder’s description, very few specimens of albrighti had been obtained from the Highwood Mountains. Most specimens collected in Montana that were referred to albrighti had been collected in the Crazy Mountains, Sweet Grass County or the Little Belt Mountains in Cascade and Meagher Counties. Moeck (1957), in commenting on albrighti noted the peculiar suffused, sordid green disk, making it a very attractive and distinctive insect, but said that in the Rocky Mountains they had found the various egleis races not too easy to locate, and that they prefer fairly high altitudes. Howe (1975) observed that egleis are largely confined to rather high, cool and moist elevations, and that albrighti inhabits a remote area seldom visited by lepidopterists, and is a poorly known subspecies of rather uncertain status.

For my own part, I had determined that in order to better define which populations of Montana egleis truly represented the concept of albrighti , that I would need a long study series from the Highwood Mountains. Unfortunately, prior to 2011, I had only been able to obtain five examples, mainly from riparian areas at the lower elevations. In 2011, and subsequent years, hikes to the upper parts of Highwood Baldy Mountain and the higher ridges east of Highwood Creek produced much better results, and larger series were obtained.

This subspecies is larger in size than macdunnoughi , and on the upper side there is more basal suffusion of dark scales and the overall black maculation is heavier. The discal area of the under hindwing of albrighti is most often overlaid with a diffused shade of dull brownish green. The spots in the discal area of the hindwing are always silvered (Figs. 23-44) ( Table 1 ).

The distribution of albrighti is limited to southcentral Montana ( Fig. 127 ). Reports of albrighti from the western slopes of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming ( Ferris & Brown, 1981) are most likely referable to macdunnoughi . For this study 219 males and 22 females were examined. Average forewing length of males was 27.0 mm, with a range of 23.0 to 31.5 mm. Average forewing length of females was 29.3 mm, with a range of 27.0 to 32.5 mm. It flies in a single brood from late June through August, depending on elevation and progression of the season. Peak flight at the type locality is normally from early to mid-July.

Material Studied: MONTANA: Cascade Co.: Monarch, 29 May 1934, 3♂, 15 June 1934, 1♂, 24 June 1934, 1♂, H. E. Nelson Coll.; near Kings Hill, 20 August 1935, 1♀, C. C. Albright Coll.; Chouteau Co. : Highwood Mts. , 14 July 1999, 2♂, S. Kohler Coll.; Highwood Cr., Highwood Mts. , 15 July 2010, 3♂, S. Kohler Coll.; Highwood Baldy, 7540’, Highwood Mts. , 28 July 2011, 14♂ 1♀; vic. Prospect Peak, 5880’, Highwood Mts. , 27 July 2011, 40♂ 1♀, S. Kohler Coll.; near jct. trails 412 & 413, 5850’, Highwood Mts. , 11 July 2013, 26♂ 2♀; jct. White Wolf & Marie Spring trails, 5875’, Highwood Mts. , 10 July 2014, 38♂ 2♀, S. Kohler Coll.; jct. White Wolf & Marie Spring trails, 5850’, Highwood Mts. , 2 July 2015, 14♂, S. Kohler Coll.; near jct. White Wolf & Marie Spring trails, 5800-5900’, Highwood Mts. , 13 July 2020, 14♂ 2♀, S. Kohler Coll.; Golden Valley Co. : Little Snowy Mts. , 14 May 1978, 3♂, S. Kohler Coll.; Judith Basin Co. : Yogo Peak, 8800’, Little Belt Mts. , 31 July 2020, 4♂, S. Kohler Coll.; Meagher Co. : Kings Hill, Little Belt Mts. , 20 August 1935, 1♀, 29 August 1935, 1♀, C. C. Albright Coll.; Loco Mountain & trail 636, 7585’, Crazy Mts. , 4 August 2011, 33♂ 6♀, S. Kohler Coll.; Sweet Grass Co. : Crazy Mts. , 23 July 1971, 4♂, L. P. Grey Coll.; Swamp Creek Rd. , Crazy Mts. , 23 July 1975, 4♂, 24 July 1975, 7♂ 1♀, 20 July 1976, 1♂, 12 July 1978, 4♂ 1♀, S. Kohler Coll.; Big Timber Canyon, Crazy Mts. , 19 July 1973, 3♂ 1♀; vic. Twin Lakes, Crazy Mts. , 31 July 2007, 1♀, S. Kohler Coll.

Figures

Fig. 127. Distribution of Speyeria egleis subspecies in Montana.