Newly Discovered Butterfly Could Be Climate Bellwether in the Arctic

Scientists have discovered the first new butterfly species in Alaska in nearly 28 years, according to new research published in the Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera last week.
Andrew Warren/FMNH
The dorsal side of new species Oeneis tanana.
Named the Tanana Arctic, or Oeneis tanana, the species is thought to be a hybrid and the only butterfly endemic to the state. Because butterflies are so sensitive to environmental change, the Tanana Arctic could serve as an early warning signal to the impacts of climate change in the region, the scientists said. “This butterfly has apparently lived in the Tanana River valley for so long that if it ever moves out, we’ll be able to say ‘Wow, there are some changes happening,’” said Andrew Warren, the senior collections manager at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History who discovered the species. “This is a region where the permafrost is already melting and the climate is changing.”