Hypolimnas octocula marianensis explained

Hypolimnas octocula marianensis, known as the Mariana eight-spot butterfly or forest flicker, is a subspecies of Hypolimnas octocula, the eight-spot butterfly.^[1]

The species is in found on Guam and Saipan in the Mariana Islands and feeds on two host plants: Procris pedunculata and Elatostema calcareum.^[2] These two herbs grow only on karst limestone forest. It occurs with certainty only on Guam and is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The Mariana eight-spot butterfly suffers from numerous threats, including habitat destruction, competition from introduced species and increased predation from ants and wasps.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Volume 9: Appendices . Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Relocating Marines from Okinawa, Visiting Aircraft Carrier Berthing, and Army Air and Missile Defense Task Force . November 2009 . 36 . 6 February 2010 .
2. Web site: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Review of Native Species That Are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notice of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions . . . December 10, 2008 . 6 January 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090508031933/http://www.fws.gov/endangered/pdfs/CNOR/08%20CNOR%20published%2012-10-08.pdf . 2009-05-08.