Identificaciones de ishaan2009

Hyalophora cecropia (+ gloveri) blend

Larvae and cocoons are typical of cecropia, while the adults are a bit skewed towards gloveri in appearance.

I've been trying to narrow down the blend zones for several of these Hyalophora species.

Of interest to me, are the cecropia-gloveri crosses, or at least populations suggestive of gene exchange. Unlike the gloveri and euryalus blends (Collins et al.), most of the cecropia mixes appear to be less stable and scattered along the interface of the western limits of the cecropia range. These populations are reported to toggle back & forth between gloveri and cecropia along the North Dakota-Montana border, sw ND & nw SD, and along parts of the South Dakota-Wyoming border (i.e. circumventing the "Badlands").

I have seen reports and material from Rapid City, SD which all appear to be typical gloveri in appearance. In contrast, material from just south and north of the highlands, adj. plains habitats, are often more cecropia-like (as seen here). Reports also place cecropia in ne. Wyoming (Collins et al.) and adj e. Montana. It's important to mention some of these MT & WY cecropia specimens (and associated pop's) are often flushed with more red than seen to the east; some folks think these characters may suggest past gene exchange (introgression).

As best I can tell, cecropia and cecropia dominant populations are most often associated with Prairie habitats and regions adj to & along the tributaries of the Mississippi R. drainage, while gloveri occupies higher and drier habitats.

I am interested in any additional observations and feedback!