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Home/Species/ Red-spine Butterfly Cactus

Echinomastus erectocentrus

(Coult.) Britt. & Rose

Red-spine Butterfly Cactus

G3Vulnerable (G3Q) Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
PSESA Status
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159485
Element CodePDCAC0J0E0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix I
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyCactaceae
GenusEchinomastus
USESAPS
Synonyms
Neolloydia erectocentra(Coult.) L.BensonSclerocactus erectocentrus(Coult.) N.P. Taylor
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
Kartesz (1994 checklist) doesn't recognize varieties in this species but does recognize S. johnsonii. Sometimes placed in genus Echinocactus, Echinomastus, or Neolloydia (FNA 2003). FNA recognizes S. johnsonii and the varieties erectocentrus and acunensis (of S. erectocentrus) as distinct but transfers them to the genus Echinomastus. Morphological and molecular studies by Baker (2007, 2012) support the transfer of E. acunensis, E. arizonicus, and E. erectocentrus into E. johnsonii but transfer them back to Sclerocactus as S. johnsonii var. johnsonii (including E. arizonicus), S. johnsonii ssp. acunensis, and S. johnsonii ssp. erectocentrus (Baker and Porter 2016).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-02-05
Change Date1996-07-09
Edition Date2016-02-05
Edition AuthorsLAMBERT, A. (1988), rev. L. Morse (1996), rev. A. Treher (2016)
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Known only from Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora (Mexico), from perhaps several dozen sites altogether. Threats include drough, climate change, urban development, habitat degradation caused by law enforcement activities, habitat alteration by non-native invasive grasses, plant consumption and seed predation by insects (Moneilema gigas and Yosemitia graciella, respectively), and, potentially in the future, mining.
Range Extent Comments
Arizona, Pinal Co and Pima Co. to west Cochise Co., Maricopa Co., Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Mexico in adjacent Sonora.
Threat Impact Comments
Threats include drough, climate change, urban development, habitat degradation caused by law enforcement activities, habitat alteration by non-native invasive grasses, plant consumption and seed predation by insects (Moneilema gigas and Yosemitia graciella, respectively), and, potentially in the future, mining.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Limestone of alluvial fans, flats, and hills in upper desert and in grassland.

Reproduction

Flowering begins in early March. This is the first cactus species to bloom in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona (Johnson 1992, see notes in pollination section).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoSNRYes
ArizonaS3Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (8)
Arizona (8)
AreaForestAcres
GaliuroCoronado National Forest28,333
Happy ValleyCoronado National Forest7,972
Lower RinconCoronado National Forest3,278
Middle Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest10,543
Santa RitaCoronado National Forest6,078
Upper Dragoon RoadlessCoronado National Forest2,533
WhetstoneCoronado National Forest20,728
WinchesterCoronado National Forest13,459
References (5)
  1. Baker, M. 2007a. A comparison of morphology among populations of Acuña cactus, <i>Echinomastus erectocentrus</i> (J. M. Coulter) Britton &amp; Rose var. <i>acunensis</i> (W. T. Marshall) H. Bravo and its relatives: <i>E. erectocentrus</i> var. <i>erectocentrus</i>, and <i>E. johnsonii</i> (Parry ex Engelm.) E. M. Baxter. Final Report. 26 January 2007. Unpublished report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  2. Baker, M. A., and J. M. Porter. 2016. The use of multivariate analyses of morphological characters and DNA analyses for assessing the taxonomic ranking of rare plant taxa: an example comparing populations of <i>Echinomastus erectocentrus</i> var. <i>acunensis</i> with those of its relatives <i>E. erectocentrus</i> var. <i>erectocentrus</i> and <i>E. johnsonii</i>. pp. 19-61. In: Endangered Species: Threats, Conservation and Future Research. Melinda Quinn (ed.). Nova Science Publishers, Inc., Hauppauge, New York.
  3. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2003b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 4, Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae, part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxiv + 559 pp.
  4. Johnson, R.A. 1992. Pollination and reproductive ecology of Acuna cactus, <i>Echinomastus erectrocentrus</i> var. <i>acunensis</i> (Cactaceae). International Journal of Plant Science 153(3):400-408.
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.