Range-wide Relative Abundance of Pyrgus centaureae wyandot (W.H. Edwards, 1863) (Appalachian Grizzled Skipper)

Nimish B. Vyas^1,*, Betsy Leppo², Ellison Orcutt³, Jakob Goldner⁴, Peter Woods⁵, Erin White⁶, David Cuthrell⁷, Donovan Drummey⁸, Laurie Hamon⁹, Jennifer Selfridge^10,11, Andrew Rapp³, Leah Card^3,12, Eileen Wyza¹³, J. Merrill Lynch⁹, Anthony Tur⁸, Katie Nolan⁸, Judith Ratcliff⁹, Robert Somes¹⁴, and Susan Olcott¹⁵

¹US Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD 20708. ²Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, Harrisburg, PA, 17101. ³Department of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Richmond, VA 23219. ⁴Wildlife Resources Section, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Elkins, WV 26241. ⁵Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. ⁶New York Natural Heritage Program, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Albany, NY 12233-4757. ⁷Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing, MI 48933. ⁸US Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region Headquarters, Science Applications, Hadley, MA 01035. ⁹North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh, NC 27699-1651. ¹⁰Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Wye Mills, MD 21679. ¹¹Current address - Saratoga Spa State Park, New York State Parks, Saratoga Springs, NY. 12866. ¹²Current address - Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Henrico, VA 23228-0778. ¹³Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Columbus, OH 43229. ¹⁴New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Endangered and Nongame Species Program, Robbinsville, NJ 08691. ¹⁵Wildlife Resources Section, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Farmington WV 26571; Deceased. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 2 (2026): 168–186

First published early online: 4 May 2026

Abstract
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the butterfly Pyrgus centaureae wyandot (Appalachian Grizzled Skipper [AGS]) to be at-risk, based on its declining populations and the lack of information on its status. Our objective was to conduct range-wide surveys to locate extant AGS colonies and to quantify the number of AGS observed at each location. From 2021 to 2024, we conducted 284 surveys in 25 unique (i.e., distinct) counties in 8 states (Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia). We found AGS in only 2 counties: Alleghany County, VA, and Greenbrier County, WV. AGS were observed 180 times in these counties. Our results can inform US Fish and Wildlife decisions about where and how future AGS conservation efforts can be implemented.

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