Tiger Swallowtails of NY: Finger Lakes, Part II

[Chuck]

30may24:
63F/ 17C
50% cloud, winds NW 15

Observed 8, captured 0

OK, this is rediculous. I've started building my decoy, which I had 9 months to make, but didn't.

[Chuck]

I must say Chuck is doing a great job trying to unravel what seems to be a very complex situation.
Adam.

I should note that though these are my field notes, I am not working alone, and am indebted to others.

Eurytides, who got me started on this darned project to begin with, continues his research in Canada and is my constant email companion. I lean heavily on him for learning and as a sounding board.

Jshuey has, behind the scenes, given me invaluable "off the record" advice.

Jhyatt, and others, have provided regional voucher specimens for comparative studies.

Images and observations from 58chevy, mothman, and Paul have helped define ranges, flight period, and behavior.

Bob gave me access again to the Carnegie collection (itself a must-see snapshot of entomology 100 years ago). The team at Cornell as well.

Adam, you as well on taxonomy and genetics.

There's a lot of back-and-forth question/answer sessions via email and PM. This helps educate me on systematics, taxonomy, Lepidoptera politics, and genetics.

So even though what most people read is my daily field report, there are actually a lot of hands in this research pie.

[adamcotton]

I looked at my spread supposed P. canadensis today and decided to upload photos here to contribute and also ask whether these are canadensis or something else:

New York specimens upperside


New York specimens underside


other canadensis


If Chuck needs better quality photos of any of these please let me know. I assume that the specimens in the 3rd photo are all canadensis, but was surprised that one is from South Dakota. As for the New York specimens, the one on the right is somewhat larger than the others, but perhaps these are all not true canadensis at all.

Adam.

[Chuck]

I'd say all NY specimens except the specimen from Green County are "mostly canadensis" though all show some intermediary (hybrid) traits. The very thick black line along the abdomen is thicker than Spring Form, MST, or glaucus, which infers primarily canadensis. That said, the HW verso lunules on most are not so nicely rectangular as on nominate canadensis. Greene County I suspect has a high percentage of MST or glaucus.

For the western Canada specimens, I'd have to see the verso on most as well; some seem to be perhaps hybrids as well.

[adamcotton]

Here's a photo of the undersides of the other canadensis:



Adam.

[eurytides]

The one from Greene County looks a bit off to me and probably isn’t a good example of canadensis. The others, I would accept as canadensis for all practical purposes. Some traits aren’t textbook canadensis, and I can’t say definitively they don’t have an few other genes mixed in, but the intermediacy of the traits aren’t eye catching enough for me personally. And you also can’t rely on one or two traits, you have to look at it all together. Many specimens can have a single trait that isn’t textbook canadensis, but which are still, for me at least, “sufficiently canadensis.”

Visually, where do we draw the line between hybrid trait vs range of variation? If we look at the specimen from Cochrane, there is no way that’s a hybrid given the location. But the lunules on the hindwing underside are far from rectangular which is what you want to see for canadensis. The shape of the lunules are a good indicator for canadensis vs glaucus/hybrid, but for me, the most reliable/consist traits are the black band on the HW anal margin and the submarginal yellow band on the FW underside.

[Chuck]

Visually, where do we draw the line between hybrid trait vs range of variation?

With Tigers- and I'm sure others (Ornithoptera victoriae comes to mind)- that is the challenge. I had one Tiger from KY tested that looked very much MST, but it was pure glaucus, indicating that some of the visual cues that differentiate MST from glaucus are within the range of glaucus variation. Morphologically though, the key is the number of differentiators that match one taxon or another.

the most reliable/consist traits are the black band on the HW anal margin and the submarginal yellow band on the FW underside.

Absolutely, and that first trait, the black margin, is the most consistent differentiator that is unique to canadensis- ONLY canadensis is that wide. Thus, if a specimen has such a wide black margin, it is not other taxa, ergo it is canadensis by default.

[Chuck]

31 May: nice day, did not do field work.
1 June: ditto. But none observed in Wayne Co.
02 June: cold, rain
03 June: rain in morning, afternoon some sun 68F

04 June: perfect day. 82F/28C, sunny.
Observed: ZERO. Can I write WTF here?

I'd made a decoy diorama (photo coming) atop a pole. I dragged it to the top of a hill, where I'd seen 8 in just a few hours last week. Nothing. Down, then up another hill. Nothing. Then another short hill overlooking native flowerbeds. Then along a shady stream they use for a flyway. Nothing. Zero.

And I carried that stupid decoy atop a pole, up and down and all around. Now I have sympathy for Moses and that darned staff he had to carry everywhere.

So where did they go? I didn't "miss" seeing them- they were not there. They were not on any flower fields I could find. They weren't flying around in the sun like they do. Nowhere. I suppose that means I have to go out again tomorrow just to prove...nothing.

[Trehopr1]

I think your spring "generation" is simply done.
Whatever was present has found mates and the females have laid their eggs so, the adults have died off.

By end of June or early July (sometime) the next crop (generation) will begin showing itself. I don't believe large butterflies such as these have a very long adult life. They just bring too much attention to themselves for their size and they are certainly not distasteful (poisonous) like the monarch.

It will take just the right weather/atmospheric conditions for the next crop to emerge either en-masse or over a time frame of a couple weeks. Then you should have your midsummer tiger generation out and about.

Here in Northern Illinois our "spring" generation of P. glaucus are short-lived as adults. May is about the only month to encounter them but, because April and May are generally so turbulent and shifting in the weather you rarely see them. This year, I only sighted 2 on the wing. That was on May 1st (2:42pm) and May 3rd (1:22pm).

I saw them close enough to tell that both were males.

Only during a couple of odd weather years here did I see a couple of late-hatched individuals which were noted in early June. Our spring generation is noticeably smaller and rather unmistakable as compared to the latter two generations which appear in middle and late summer.

[kevinkk]

And I carried that stupid decoy atop a pole, up and down and all around. Now I have sympathy for Moses and that darned staff he had to carry everywhere.

I've used my jacket before to knock down beetles, always good for onlookers,
our Western tigers, I won't see one here at the coast for a few weeks still.

[Chuck]

The Spring Form Tigers I saw last week were fairly fresh; I know from observations that they live ~2 weeks plus. So they should still be alive. Besides which, flight period varies widely based on location as well as weather.

In the past (I'm sure it's noted in the archived old forum in my notes) that there have been Junes during which I saw Tigers ever day, and at least one that I saw Tigers the first week, then not after.

With MST, they may be common in one area, nectaring on a plant, then poof they're gone- off to another field with a different nectaring plant. Though Spring Form seems to nectar very infrequently, I suppose this too could have happened, but if this is the case I cannot find them.

Anyway, no field work for me today. I had to do some emergency surgery since I couldn't get into a doctor. US healthcare at its finest- no appointments available for 6-8 months.

I did run the MV for the first time last night: two fresh polyphemus and a sphingid. I'm surprised no lunas but they've been pushing later and later into the year as of recent years.

[Chuck]

05 June: nice, but couldn't get out.
06 June: warm, but storms and deluge rains.
07 June: cold, storms and deluge rains.

[mothman55]

The P. canadensis are just about done in central Ontario, which is at least a week earlier than usual. June 8 is usually when they are at their peak, and in fact it was June 8, 2020 that I got the fletcheri that is my avatar. But as they started about May 17 this year, and peaked around May 23-June 1, they are mostly done for this season.

I did get a couple of P. glaucus today just east of Toronto. In my experience most all the tigers in the GTA (Greater Toronto area) are glaucus. I personally have never seen a P. canadensis in the GTA.

[Chuck]

Mothman, thanks for the observations. It must be amazing to see that quantity of Tigers.

The last few days have been a wash. 08-10 June: cool, bands of storms and heavy rain. Observed zero. This June is shaping up just like the last two- garbage weather.

[Chuck]

11 June: Day six of rain. It's pouring, but not even on radar.

[adamcotton]

By the way, in 2006 I photographed the type of Papilio canadensis Rothschild & Jordan, 1906 (data St. John's, Newfoundland 25.VI.98) in the NHM, London. I cannot post the photos here as they are copyright of the museum. The wingspan is just under 8 cm, with the lower edges of the forewings at 90 degrees to the body, spread in the modern style.

Adam.

[Chuck]

In my experience most all the tigers in the GTA (Greater Toronto area) are glaucus. I personally have never seen a P. canadensis in the GTA.

I revisited this, and recalled that Paul had posted some wonderful photos of not-canadensis Tigers from Toronto here: https://archive.insectnet.com/thread/90 ... ger?page=4

I'm not buying that those are nominate glaucus. Though, the black anal band isn't wide enough for Spring Form.

[Chuck]

12june2024: 68F/ 20C, 80% cloud cover. First decent day after days of cold and rain.

Observed: 0

Saw a lot of nothing. Only the most common species and in single-digit quantities. The spring flowers (rose, berry) are done flowering, but the summer flowers haven't started. So there's not much for nectaring.

[Chuck]

13June2024; mostly sunny 82F/28C
Observed: 2

With local research giving up nothing lately, I decided to punch south into the hill country and toward the PA border. To do this, I elected to use the "Windshield Survey" method, in the truck at 50mph.

About 15miles SW of home a Tiger Swallowtail jumped in front of the truck. I was sure I got it, but could not locate it on the grill or in the grass. Ironically, this was in a spot I always thought should be good, but has always disappointed. So I got out and poked around, and saw...nothing.

I later saw another fly across the road 7miles SW of that position.

In between I took a dirt road up to an escarpment that's probably 400m or so above the valley. It was 10F cooler. Despite visions of Tigers puddling along the roadside like Canadians report, I saw nothing.

[kevinkk]

Jumped out? The windscreen and bumper used to be a good measure, I have settled for watching from the passenger seat to see if the collecting
trip we're making is futile or not, seems like things are slower this year, we were out the other day and only found Parnassius clodius, flying
everywhere in the rocky areas, and one lone P. eurymedon male. The flowers are blooming, foxglove, cow parsnips, bleeding heart, and others,
all there for nectar, but little to nothing flying so far, even the Oregon INaturalist site has few large butterflies so far.