''Coenonympha nipisiquit'', the maritime ringlet, is a rare butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is a "species at risk" in Canada due to water pollution and its limited range. Its range is restricted in Canada to the

Chaleur Bay frame, Satellite image of Chaleur Bay (NASA). Chaleur Bay is the large bay in the centre of the image; the Gaspé Peninsula is to the north and the Gulf of St. Lawrence is seen to the east.">Gulf_of_St._Lawrence.html" ;"title="Gaspé Peninsula ...

region, between New Brunswick and the

Gaspé Peninsula The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick o ...

About

The species was discovered near Bathurst, New Brunswick by J. McDunnough in 1939. Of the six salt marshes where the maritime ringlet is found in New Brunswick, four of these sites are located within only a 10 km radius in or near

Bathurst Harbour Bathurst Harbour is a shallow bay located in the south west region of Tasmania, Australia. Bathurst Harbour is contained within the Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour Marine Nature Reserve, and the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wild ...

. The maritime ringlet is preyed on by birds and larger insects.bathurst.ca: "Monitoring the Endangered Maritime Ringlet Butterfly"
/ref> The larvae feed only on salt-meadow cordgrass ('' Spartina patens''). Sea lavender (''

Limonium nashii ''Limonium carolinianum'', known variously as Carolina sealavender, canker root, ink root, marsh root, lavender thrift, American thrift, or seaside thrift, is a species of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fru ...

'') is its preferred

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

plant. Dr. Reginald Webster, a self-employed

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

-based entomologist,cbc.ca: "New beetle species discovered in Fredericton park"
30 July 2014 was responsible from 1993 on for a WWF-funded projectelements.nb.ca: "The Endangered Maritime Ringlet Butterfly"
Dec 2000 that led to the implementation of a recovery plan, monitoring protocol, and successful introduction of a new colony in the Acadian Peninsula.

Similar species

Coenonympha tullia ''Coenonympha tullia'', the large heath or common ringlet, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It flies in a variety of grassy habitats, including roadsides, woodland edges and clearings, prairies, bogs, and arctic and alpine taiga and tun ...

'' – common ringlet

References

External links

Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility
Natural Resources, New Brunswick
Maritime ringlet
Bathurst Sustainable Development
Maritime ringlet
Maritime Butterfly Atlas Coenonympha Butterflies of North America Butterflies described in 1939 Taxa named by James Halliday McDunnough {{Satyrini-stub