Sand-verbena moth (Copablepharon fuscum) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 11

Special Significance of the Species

Copablepharon fuscum is endemic to coastal sites in the Strait of Georgia region of British Columbia and adjacent areas in the Puget Sound region of Washington. It is a monophagous species that relies on Abronia latifolia, a regionally rare plant species of coastal dunes and beaches, for food and reproduction. While this type of host/parasite relationship is not unique, the habitat specialization of both species increases its conservation significance. It may also reduce the resilience of C. fuscum to anthropogenic or stochastic change.

No traditional knowledge, including use for crafts or for medicine, has been discovered for C. fuscum. The roots of A. latifolia were used by the Clallam and Makah First Nations for food (Gunther, 1973).

 

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