Sonora skipper (Polites sonora) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 11

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Technical Summary

Polites sonora

Sonora Skipper – Hespérie du Sonora

Extent and Area Information

Population Information

• Hope Mountains – unknown
• ManningProvincial Park – unknown
• Placer Creek – unknown
• Wolfe Creek – unknown
• Ashnola River valley – unknown
• Crater Mountain - unknown

Threats (actual or imminent threats to populations or habitats)

• forest ingress into meadows
• aging of forestry plantations
• road construction
• intense livestock grazing
• fire

Rescue Effect (immigration from an outside source)

Quantitative Analysis

No quantitative analysis is available.

Current Status

• COSEWIC: Special Concern (2006)
• NatureServe: G4
  • Canada: N1
    • BC: S1
  • United States: N4
    • WA: S4
• General Status:  May be at risk

Status and Reasons for Designation

Status:  Special Concern

Alpha-numeric code:  None applicable

Reasons for Designation: This skipper occurs in some moist grassy openings in a forested landscape.  It is known from only six locations in a small, restricted area of Canada where its distribution is very patchy and it does not occupy all apparently suitable available habitats. The ability of Canadian populations to benefit from immigration from other Canadian populations or from populations in adjacent Washington State is likely limited at best.  The skipper is threatened by intensive grazing and habitat loss to natural habitat change and road construction.  However, it shows some ability to make use of some man-made habitats, such as grassy roadside areas, agricultural meadows and small clearcuts, but only if these habitats are moist or mesic. 

Applicability of Criteria

Criterion A: (Declining Total Population): Not applicable

Criterion B: (Small Distribution, and Decline or Fluctuation):

• the extent of occurrence is smaller than 5,000 km²(2,100 km²)
• the area of occupancy is smaller than 500 km²(20-100 km²)
• and the population is severely fragmented
• but there are no known continuing declines, particularly as some habitat is lost but some is also gained
• and no extreme fluctuations are known

Criterion C: (Small Total Population Size and Decline):

• the total population is likely fewer than 10,000 (based on a guesstimate of 3,000-5,000) mature individuals
• but there are no documented population declines (no population trends)

Criterion D: (Very Small Population or Restricted Distribution): not applicable

Criterion E: (Quantitative Analysis):  not available.