Discus whitneyi

This species was formerly listed as Discus cronkhitei, which was in wide use for over a century but was described a year later (Roth, 1987). There is some question as to whether this species will ultimately be shown to be a Western Hemisphere member of Discus ruderatus of northern Eurasian forests (Kerney and Cameron, 1979).

Forsyth (2005) documented it in the Upper Fraser Basin of central British Columbia where it is widespread and common, much like the rest of British Columbia, except along the coast. Most recently, it was discovered in the Ktunaxa Traditional Territory in southeastern British Columbia (which extends from near Canada - U.S. border north to about 50 km north of Cranbrook) (Ovaska and Sopuck, 2009). In Alberta it is distributed in the southern 2/3 of province from Fairview and reported in all natural regions except the Canadian Shield (Lepitzki, 2001). It occurs in eastern Maine (5 of 101 sites) where it is rare when found in upland sites and is very uncommon except for a few areas immediately adjacent to the coast (Nekola, 2008). In New York, Hotopp and Pearce (2007) report it from most counties except northeastern New York. Baxter (1987) cites occurrences in Alaska in the North Gulf Coast and southwestern Alaska, with potential occurrences elsewhere; including Attu (Aleutian Islands) (Roth and Lindberg, 1981). In Arizona, it was documented in Arch Canyon in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, just north of the Mexican border (Dillon, 1980).