About a year ago Mike Stangeland was processing photos of skippers from Central America when he came across photos of a different looking skipper butterfly from Costa Rica.
Mike sent out emails to the authors of Butterlies of America with images of the butterflies in question pointing out the differences between them. This started discussion and excitement over what might possibly be a new discovery.
Nick Grishin (one of the authors of the Butterflies of America website) just published a paper in the Journal of the Lepidopterists Society (67:1-14) describing a new species of butterfly based on Mike's discovery.
The butterfly is named Oxynetra stangelandi and it's one of the large, showy skippers commonly called Firetips. What an immense honor to have your name added to the scientific record in this way. Way to go Mike you deserve it!— with Mike Stangeland
Mike sent out emails to the authors of Butterlies of America with images of the butterflies in question pointing out the differences between them. This started discussion and excitement over what might possibly be a new discovery.
Nick Grishin (one of the authors of the Butterflies of America website) just published a paper in the Journal of the Lepidopterists Society (67:1-14) describing a new species of butterfly based on Mike's discovery.
The butterfly is named Oxynetra stangelandi and it's one of the large, showy skippers commonly called Firetips. What an immense honor to have your name added to the scientific record in this way. Way to go Mike you deserve it!— with Mike Stangeland
