Tag Archives: Ventura County

Pyrgulopsis torrida Hershler, Liu, Babbitt, Kellog & Howard

Little Sycamore Pyrg (Pyrgulopsis torrida)

The Little Sycamore Pyrg was described in 2016, it had formerly been misidentified as another species, the Yaqui Pyrg (Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana (Pilsbry)).

The species was restricted to a single small, shallow stream that runs for about 1,6 km in the Little Sykcamore Canyon in Ventura Canyon, California, USA.

The shells reach sizes of about 0,28 cm in heigth. [1]

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The Little Sycamore Pyrg was already rare in 2000, however, when the type locality was revisited in 2015, the stream was completely dry, indicating that the species had lost its only habitat and may thus be now extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Robert Hershler; Hsiu-Ping Liu; Caitlin Babbit; Michael G. Kellog; Jeanette K. Howard: Three new species of western California springsnails previously confused with Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae). ZooKeys 601: 1-19. 2016

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Photo from: ‘Robert Hershler; Hsiu-Ping Liu; Caitlin Babbit; Michael G. Kellog; Jeanette K. Howard: Three new species of western California springsnails previously confused with Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae). ZooKeys 601: 1-19. 2016’

(under creative commons license (4.0))
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

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edited: 18.05.2022

Speyeria adiaste ssp. atossa (W. H. Edwards)

Atossa Fritillary (Speyeria adiaste ssp. atossa)  

The Atossa Fritillary, also known as the Unsilvered Fritillary, was described in 1890, originally as a full species, it was restricted to an area approximately at the borders between the three counties of Kern, Los Angeles and Ventura in southern California, USA.   

The adult butterflies were found in open canyons wherever water was present, they were attracted by many wildflowers, but seemed to have had a special preference for the flowers of the California Buckeye (Aesculus californica (Spach) Nutt.). The larval food plant was a violet species, yet the exact species was apparently never properly recorded but is suspected to might have been the Oakwoods Violet (Viola purpurea ssp. quercetorum (M. S. Baker & J. C. Clausen) R. J. Little).  

The Atossa Fritillary was last recorded in 1959 when two specimens were collected, respectively in 1960 when a last individual was spotted on the peak of Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest on the boundary between Kern – and Ventura counties.   

There have been many field searches since the last sightings, yet all of them were unsuccessful, the Atossa Fritillary is extinct. [1]  

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References:  

[1] Larry J. Orsak: Project Atossa – Preliminary report. Atala 2(2): 5-8. 1974  

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males on the right and in the middle, female on the right  

Depiction from: ‘Willian H. Edwards: The Butterflies of North America. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin 1884-88’  

(not in copyright)

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edited: 13.09.2019