Extent of Dakota skipper, Hesperia dacotae, distribution in Southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

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 km 2 of potential habitat (probability of occurrence 0.7-1). Locations with high probability of occurrence had soils with a significantly higher soil ammonium ( 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.