26-04-2025
Scientists identify new ‘curiously isolated' butterfly species
Scientists have discovered a new butterfly species in the Canadian Rockies, they report in ZooKeys.
The Satyrium curiosolus, or 'Curiously Isolated Hairstreak,' lives up to its name. Although it looks like another species, its distinctive genome and ecology suggest it may have been genetically isolated from other butterflies for up to 40,000 years.
Until now, the species has been confused with a similar species, Satyrium semiluna, also known as the Half-Moon Hairstreak. Both species of butterfly are small with brownish-gray wings.
A genetic analysis of butterflies found along Blakiston Fan, an area where a river channel widens in Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park, showed a distinct species present only in that area. Though it looks like the Half-Moon Hairstreak, the new species has surprisingly unique genetics and ecology.
The researchers added the 'curious' to the newly discovered butterfly's common name because of its uniquely 'small population size and high degree of long-term isolation,' the study says. That isolation is reflected in the butterflies' genome, which suggests the species has been both isolated and interbreeding for about 40,000 years.
S. semiluna is considered endangered in Canada because of its small range and population size. The researchers suggest the newly discovered species be subject to the same conservation status, especially because of its lack of genetic diversity. It is unclear whether the newly discovered species can breed with other Satyrium species, they say.
Because the rare butterflies may not be able to mate with their similar-looking counterparts, the researchers write, attempting cross-breeding may be harmful. They recommend further monitoring and assessment to determine how best to help the species survive.
'For now, the Curiously Isolated Hairstreak reminds us that even the smallest and most overlooked species can hold extraordinary scientific and conservation significance,' the researchers say in a news release.
