Incisalia mossii hidakupa
(San Gabriel Mountains) Moss's Elfin
A rare little elfin of the San Gabriels, with perhaps a few in the San Bernardino Mountains. The subspecies name hidakupa is a Kizh word for the San Gabriel Mountains. The type locality is Stoddard Canyon, which is up Mt Baldy Road, and best known by most of us from a spot on Glendora Ridge Road. There is a single brood, with the adult flight mostly in April and early May. I made many attempts to find this butterfly before I was successful. The larval food plant, Sedum spathulifolium (Crassulaceae family), is a succulent that grows on rocky, north-facing cliffs and slopes such that many of the plants aren't easily accessible (at least to lepidopterists). Larvae are bright red and feed on the outer part of the plant after flights. Overwintering is as a chrysalis.
The host Sedum also grows at north-facing mid-elevation (5000') cliffs in the San Bernardinos along Highway 38, but so far I have found no trace of the butterfly, not that I have (yet) made serious attempts, and the places I've seen are difficult to access.
Incisalia mossii hidakupa, the San Gabriel Mountains elfin, at Glendora Ridge Road near Mt. Baldy. April 26, 2009.
These are somewhat similar in appearance to the common brown elfin (especially if a bit worn), but I noticed that hidakupa is a much weaker flyer. Same place, April 26, 2009.
It took a lot of patience to find these. This was my eight or ninth attempt, and I was at this spot for about fifteen minutes and about to leave when the first flew past me. I saw a total of four in about an hour. Same place, same day.
One more from the same day. These were first found not far from here by John Emmel and they were formally described in the Systematics book in 1998.
This is the larva of Incisalia mossii hidakupa, the San Gabriel Mountains elfin, photographed May 31st, 2008. The host plant is Sedum spathulifolium, and this larva was chewing the epidermis of the flower stem.
Sedum spathulifolium on a north-facing (shady) slope in the San Gabriels. It's a beautiful succulent.
Sedum spathulifolium, or Pacific Stonecrop, is the larval food plant of the subspecies of Moss's elfin in the San Gabriels. Note that the red caterpillar would be cryptic on the red flower stems.
©Dennis Walker
