The Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae, (Hesperiidae) is an at-risk Lepidoptera species, limited in Canada to native mesic mixed-grass prairie habitat in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Due to declines in the native mesic mixed-grass prairie the Dakota skipper population is threatened by loss of habitat. Currently, there is little knowledge about Dakota skipper and the availability and distribution of suitable habitat within Saskatchewan. Our objective was to map potential Dakota skipper habitat using a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) based species distribution model with climate, soil, and landscape predictor variables. Potential Dakota skipper habitat was found broadly in the mesic mixed-grass prairie region, however there is only ~217 km2 of potential habitat (probability of occurrence 0.7-1). Locations with high probability of occurrence had soils with a significantly higher soil ammonium ( $${\rm {NH}}_{4}^{+}$$ ) and silt content than low probability locations. While the Dakota skipper is broadly distributed in native mesic mixed-grass prairie of southeastern Saskatchewan, environmental constraints likely restrict this species to a limited proportion of the intact native prairie. Implications for insect conservation: Mapping landscape-level species distributions will assist in the development of conservation and management plans for the Dakota skipper in southeastern Saskatchewan including targeted surveys for unknown populations in areas of high potential, identification of potential reintroduction sites, and selection of lands for conservation.

中文翻译：

---

达科他州船长 Hesperia dacotae 的范围，分布于加拿大萨斯喀彻温省东南部

达科他州船长 Hesperia dacotae (Hesperiidae) 是一种处于危险中的鳞翅目物种，在加拿大仅限于萨斯喀彻温省和马尼托巴省的原生中性杂草草原栖息地。由于原生中性杂草草原的减少，达科他州船长种群受到栖息地丧失的威胁。目前，对达科他州船长以及萨斯喀彻温省内合适栖息地的可用性和分布知之甚少。我们的目标是使用基于广义线性模型 (GLM) 的物种分布模型以及气候、土壤和景观预测变量来绘制潜在的达科他州船长栖息地。潜在的达科他船长栖息地广泛存在于中性混合草草原地区，但只有约 217 平方公里的潜在栖息地（发生概率 0.7-1）。发生概率高的位置具有比低概率位置显着更高的土壤铵 ( $${\rm {NH}}_{4}^{+}$$ ) 和淤泥含量的土壤。虽然达科他州船长广泛分布在萨斯喀彻温省东南部的原生中性杂草草原，但环境限制可能将该物种限制在完整的原生草原中的有限比例。对昆虫保护的影响：绘制景观级物种分布图将有助于为萨斯喀彻温省东南部的达科他州船长制定保护和管理计划，包括对高潜力地区的未知种群进行有针对性的调查、确定潜在的重新引入地点和选择土地为保护。