Invasion, Colonization, and Disturbance; Historical Ecology of the Endangered Miami Blue Butterfly (original) (raw)

2006, Journal of Insect Conservation

The Miami blue butterfly, Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri (Lycaenidae), which was widespread in coastal southern Florida in the last century, is now reduced to a few dozen individuals on a single islet of the Florida Keys. We present the first account of its reproductive ecology, and analyze its decline. We correct the common view that a principal host plant, balloon vine, is an exotic weed. Four other insects also feed on seeds of balloon vine, including a true bug, a wasp, and another lycaenid hairstreak that colonized the area in 1970. Larvae of the two lycaenids were negatively associated across sites, due in part to oviposition decisions. Balloon vines were more likely to abort fruit containing larval blues than hairstreaks. Most focal host plants disappeared between 1988 and 2003, mainly due to human disturbance. In addition, comparative evidence suggests that the blue and wasp were more susceptible to mosquito control spraying than were the other insects.