The New Mexico Rare Arthropod Resource

Little is known about the life history of this specific subspecies. However, it is known that it is found on a single ridge in New Mexico in the alpine zone (Holland 2010). This taxas parent species is also an alpine zone specialist often living in mountain meadows, alpine tundra or in mountain forest clearings (Ferris and Brown 1981, Scott 1986, Pyle 2002, Lotts and Naberhaus 2021, NatureServe 2023, Montana Natural Heritage Program 2023). This species is univoltine and the flight period is reported as being at least the end of May to late July but may extend a bit on either end (Holland 2010). Most Oeneis species are biennial and O. chryxus can complete its life cycle in either one or two years (Lotts and Naberhaus 2021, Cary and Toliver 2023). However, Butterflies of New Mexico reports that O. Chryxus seems to fly about equally every year; however, it is unknown if this subspecies is following the same pattern and whether its completing a one or two year life cycle (Cary 2023). Likely due to how far south the species is its doing a one year life cycle and flying every year. 

This species is an extremely range and habitat restricted disjunct colony of O. chryxus (Holland 2010). Being a mountaintop isolate, this species is very vulnerable to extermination by just a small amount of climate change (Holland 2010). This is especially true for this taxa where it is already at the southern extreme of the parent species range and experiences much warmer temperatures than other O. chryxus (Holland 2010, NatureServe 2023). Additionally, the nearest population of other O. chryxus to this taxa is in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico in between these two populations is over 125 miles of the Chihuahuan Desert an inhospitable environment for Oeneis (Holland 2010). As a result, this species is isolated in the mountain range it's currently in and likely continually declining as New Mexico continues to get hotter and drier (Forister et al. 2010, 2021, 2023). This area is expected to just be getting further hotter and drier over the coming years which will force this species to even higher elevations until it has nowhere else to go (Cook et al. 2009, Holland 2010, Forister et al. 2010, Cook et al. 2015). Already this species only exists on one mountain ridge in the San Mateo's and its the ridge at the highest elevation which seems to imply this species already can go no higher (Holland 2010). This warming and drying also puts the species at more risk of fires and off season fires threaten this univoltine species with a sudden extinction (Hill et al. 2017). 

Additionally, this increased drought and temperature puts the species at further risk from wildfire. A large wildfire the Vics Peak Fire burned through the area in 2020 and some thought it might drive the taxa fully to extinction although we have a single photograph from 2021 that shows that some of this taxa made it out. Since then several other smaller wildfires have burned in the Magdalena mountains further threatening this species (S. Cary Pers Comm 2023). With such a small range being restricted to just one ridge just a single catastrophic fire is likely to cause the extinction of this taxa and as catastrophic wildfires become worse wit climate change care should be taken to try to save this taxa from wildfire (Liu et al. 2010, Virgillio et al. 2019). 

This taxa also has a single brood a year makes species much less adaptable and can be used as a key indicator of extinction risk in butterflies (Forister et al. 2023). Also the two year life cycle if it is occurring in this subspecies potentially puts the species at additional risk of extinction as individuals have to survive two years in order to be able to reach sexual maturity this means the species cant bounce back as quickly and is more prone to many threats as larvae (Hernández-Yáñez et al. 2022).