Atrytonopsis quinteri

Burns, 2015

Crystal Skipper

Atrytonopsis quinteri, the Crystal , is a recently described skipper ( ) to a narrow coastal range in North Carolina. The was formally described in 2015 by Burns, though specimens had been collected as early as 1978. Its extremely restricted distribution along barrier islands makes it one of the most geographically limited butterfly species in North America.

Atrytonopsis quinteri by (c) Roger Rittmaster, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Roger Rittmaster. Used under a CC-BY license.

Atrytonopsis quinteri, crystal skipper,face nc 2019-08-09-20.58.18 ZS PMax UDR (48728089301) by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA. Used under a Public domain license.

Atrytonopsis quinteri, crystal skipper, nc, side 2019-08-09-20.52.03 ZS PMax UDR (48728088441) by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA. Used under a Public domain license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Atrytonopsis quinteri: /əˌtraɪtɵˈnɒpsɪs ˈkwɪntərˌi/

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Images

Habitat

Barrier island along the North Carolina coast. Specific microhabitat preferences within this narrow range have not been extensively documented.

Distribution

Restricted to approximately 30 miles (50 km) of barrier islands in North Carolina, USA. This represents one of the most limited geographic ranges of any North .

More Details

Taxonomic history

Specimens were first collected in 1978, but the was not formally described until 2015 when Burns published the description recognizing it as a full species distinct from .