''Euphydryas editha taylori'', the Whulge checkerspot or Taylor's checkerspot, is a butterfly native to an area of the

northwestern United States The Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming ...

and

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

Description

Taylor's checkerspot is the darkest subspecies of the genus ''

Euphydryas ''Euphydryas'' is a genus of Nymphalidae butterflies. Species References Further reading * Glassberg, Jeffrey ''Butterflies through Binoculars: The West'' (2001) * Guppy, Crispin S. and Shepard, Jon H. ''Butterflies of British Columbia'' ( ...

''. It is a subspecies of Edith's checkerspot. This butterfly has a wingspan of less than . 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 The Willamette Valley ( ) is a valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, the ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Chemical ecology

Taylor's checkerspot

larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...

rely on complex multitrophic interactions for survival. The larvae feed upon certain plant species in the native ''

Castilleja ''Castilleja'', commonly known as paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of Annual plant, annual and Perennial plant, perennial mostly herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska sout ...

'' and exotic ''

Plantago ''Plantago'' is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though a ...

'' genera that produce defensive compounds called iridoid glycosides. Over time, the Taylor's checkerspot has developed a tolerance for these compounds, such that the larvae are able to consume the foliage of these plants and sequester the compounds in their own tissues. These compounds then confer chemical protection against bird predators to the larvae.

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 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...

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 ten 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 Denman Island, (also known by Sla-dai-aich or Taystayic, in the Comox language), is one of the Northern Gulf Islands and part of the Comox Valley Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Islands Trust group of ...

Threats

The biggest threat to its survival is the loss of prairie habitat due to contemporary settlement. 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.

Image gallery

File:Euphydryas editha taylori early instar larvae under dissection scope.jpg, Early

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...

''Euphydryas editha taylori'' larvae viewed under a dissection scope for observation File:Euphydryas editha taylori 2.jpg, Late

''Euphydryas editha taylori'' larva eating a '' Plantago lanceolata'' leaf, from which it sequesters defensive compounds known as iridoid glycosides. File:Lab-reared Euphydryas editha taylori Taylor's checkerspot butterflies feeding on honey water at the University of Washington Terrestrial restoration ecology lab.jpg, Lab-reared ''Euphydryas editha taylori'' feeding on honey water at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Terrestrial Restoration Ecology lab

References

External links

Cascadia Prairie Oak Partnership technical library items on Taylor's checkerspot (''Euphydryas editha taylori'')

Butterflies and Moths of North America

Butterflies of America
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5410726 Euphydryas Butterflies of North America ESA endangered species Butterflies described in 1888 Taxa named by William Henry Edwards Butterfly subspecies