I have just gone through the 1,900 Hermeuptychia Satyr observations uploaded to iNaturalist already this year. I've updated the public county record/distribution map for the Intricate Satyr to be accurate through 9/6/2024. The map is visible at the below link:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=15l69gBYR6ohbn5EDzPYy04MTcxRg61A&ehbc=2E312F
I've added 21 new county records this year. South Carolina is now beating Florida, I think, in the race for first state to achieve complete infill of the predicted range map. I'm going to keep filling in as many SC counties as I can during my own gallivanting across the Palmetto State and hope to get it filled in before 2030! SC currently needs the following 16 counties: Beaufort, Bamberg, Calhoun, Saluda, Florence, Darlington, Kershaw, Lee, Marlboro, Dillion, Lancaster, York, Cherokee, Anderson, Greenville, and Oconee. Of those, Oconee is the only state that I think would be difficult to run down a record at, as well as any states lacking suitable public land to access for surveying. So keep your eyes peeled and cameras at the ready my fellow South Carolinians!
On a different more important note, of those 21 new records added this year, there are 3 potential new state records for: Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. (The Arkansas record is particularly promising.) These represent sole individuals identified from ventral hindwing line morphology. They join the list with the lone Ohio observation and the trio of Virginia observations to add further evidence to my hypothesis that this species is far more widespread that we all think. (Although likely quite rare outside of the deep south.)
Arkansas record candidate:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/239060355
Tennessee record candidate:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/239671322
Kentucky record candidate:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/231262097
Ohio record candidate:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/175905195
Virginia record candidate:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34995638
Through my vetting of observations on citizen science platforms and my own field work, I have shown that this species can be readily found in the piedmont of SC if you just put in the leg work and target their preferred riparian/floodplain habitats. In my own experience, I've found that they are very common in the coastal plain of South Carolina, although less common than the Carolina Satyr. However, we still lack many records for coastal plain counties across the US. This points towards my other hypothesis, that this species is chronically under-surveyed, chronically under-reported, and chronically under-photographed compared to Intricate Satyrs.
If you look at the ratio of Intricate Satyrs to Carolina Satyrs on iNaturalist in the US, it's 1-to-15. There are 2/3rds as many South Texas Satyrs reported as Intricate Satyrs! (That other cryptic species lives in just one river valley that's only halfway in the US for Pete's sake! The Intricate Satyrs is confirmed from at least 8 states!) In my mind, the only explanation for this has long been that people aren't photographing or not uploading online photographs of Intricate Satyrs. Why? Because the likelihood you're going to see an Intricate Satyr is positively correlated with mosquito abundance! And it's a hard ID to make, so lots of folks throw their hands up and give up on the effort. Meaning casual observers aren't going to regularly photograph them as they don't want to be in skeeter filled swamps, expert butterfliers are more often than not going to write them off as Carolina Satyrs in their day lists and keep on trucking, or glass them with bins alone. That leaves just a very small portion of naturalists who will pay attention to this species, those who are either just picking up the hobby and photographing everything around them (as was I when tripped face first in the rabbit hole of this complex) or those dedicated butterfly-nuts who are actively pursuing learning the complex. They are the two demographics that are going to voluntarily walk into max-humidity, 90°, deep-south mosquito soup to run down a firm ID on a bunch of boring brown butterflies, take good photos of them, and then upload those photos here. Which I don't think is a very large group of people!
That, and even a decade after its description as a distinct species, the Intricate Satyr is still unknown to many, not in most field guides, and still not recognized by NABA. People are starting to find out about the complex through word of mouth and iNaturalist. The works I've published far wide are helping teach ID techniques and field guides are starting to include the species (although none have reached out to me directly for input on their text, and so aren't always 100% accurate). NABA just recently announced they are considering reforming their Names Committee, which could result in them recognizing this species in the next few years.
Any who, to ramble in a different direction, I need more eyes on the ground photographing satyrs, especially in NC, VA, and GA. (So @ me on some Satyr shots!) This species isn't poorly known because it's rare. It's poorly known because its under-surveyed. However, unlike other under-surveyed butterflies that are hard to find, this one isn't. It's just hard to ID! All you need to do to find one is trudge down a swamp trail or wind along a river trail in early afternoon in May, August, or September. Photograph the Satyrs you see along the way. If they fight you something fierce for a photograph, it's probably a Carolina and move on to preserve your sanity/blood. Focus on dense stands of low grass and the copasetic satyrs, and you'll eventually land in a population pocket of Intricate Satyrs. Upload those photos to iNaturalist, I'll get an ID on them eventually (even if its 8 months after the fact), and we can start filling in this US county map in a heartbeat!
-Tom
