<i>Maculinea rebeli</i> (<scp>H</scp>irschke) – a phantom or reality? Novel contribution to a long‐standing debate over the taxonomic status of an enigmatic <scp>L</scp>ycaenidae butterfly

Bereczki, Judit; Pecsenye, Katalin; Varga, Zoltán; Tartally, András; Tóth, János

doi:10.1111/syen.12259

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 75 publications

(102 reference statements)

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“…Current literature (Tartally et al ., ) distinguishes three forms of M. alcon , the hygrophilic ( M. alcon H ), the xerophilic ( M. alcon X ) and the Alpine ( M. alcon form rebeli ). For a long period M. alcon X was widely referred to as ‘ M. rebeli ’; however, this assertion has been shown to be misleading (Habeler, ; Kudrna & Fric, ; Tartally et al ., ; Koubínová et al ., ; Bereczki et al ., ). In this study, we focused exclusively on habitats of M. alcon X .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Changes in host ant communities of Alcon Blue butterflies in abandoned mountain hay meadows

Tartally

Nash

Varga

et al. 2019

Insect Conserv Diversity

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Land use intensification is a general threat to biodiversity, but many species depend on low‐intensity agricultural ecosystems. One example is European mountain meadow ecosystems, traditionally managed by hay harvesting or livestock grazing. Abandoning management often causes population declines, local extinctions and biotic homogenisation in these meadows. We studied changes in the Myrmica host ant communities of the xerophilic form of the ant‐parasitic Alcon Blue butterfly (Maculinea alcon) in four hay meadows in the Bükk mountains of Hungary between 2000–2007 and 2018. Abandonment started in this region in the 1970s, accelerated in the 1980s, and culminated in the 1990s. We found that the Myrmica ant community has changed substantially in less than two decades. Diversity of the ant community always decreased, and species composition became more homogeneous at two sites. Habitat suitability for Maculinea butterflies decreased at three sites and increased at only one site, where management was restarted 20 years after abandonment. The number of M. alcon caterpillars and pupae, the rate of infestation of ant nests and the mean number of caterpillars and pupae per ant nest decreased between the two periods, whereas host ant specificity did not differ from random in either period. We conclude that the unfavourable changes in the host ant community due to abandonment have negative consequences for the persistence of Maculinea populations. Our study highlights the need for detailed monitoring, and the maintenance of low‐intensity management by mowing or grazing to avoid the decline of biodiversity dependent on low‐intensity agriculture.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Changes in host ant communities of Alcon Blue butterflies in abandoned mountain hay meadows

Tartally

Nash

Varga

et al. 2019

Insect Conserv Diversity

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“…To complete their life cycle they require two crucial resources, which comprise specific foodplants, on which Maculinea larvae feed in their initial stages, and specific host ants of the genus Myrmica, in the colonies of which the larvae finish their development, acting as social parasites (Thomas 1995;Witek et al 2010). There is a controversy surrounding the taxonomic status of M. alcon, with its two distinct forms associated with wet meadows and xerothermic grasslands, regarded as separate species or, more frequently, merely as different ecotypes (Als et al 2004;Pecsenye et al 2007;Sielezniew et al 2012;Bereczki et al 2018). Consequently, the conservation status of the species is uncertain, and it is classified as least concern (LC) in Europe (van Swaay et al 2010), even though many authors regard both forms to be clearly under threat (WallisDeVries 2004;Tartally et al 2008;Czekes et al 2014).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

What keeps ‘living dead’ alive: demography of a small and isolated population of Maculinea (= Phengaris) alcon

Nowicki

Deoniziak

Dziekańska³

et al. 2018

J Insect Conserv

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Small and isolated populations are prone to future extinctions and thus perceived as 'living dead'. Although generally considered to be of low conservation value, their existence can still enhance species survival at the landscape scale through improving the connectivity of other populations and facilitating some (even if little) gene flow. We investigated the demography and genetic status of a tiny and highly isolated local population of Maculinea (= Phengaris) alcon near its distribution margin with the aim of identifying the features that allow it to persist. The study comprised intensive mark-recapture, surveys of Gentiana pneumonanthe foodplants and butterfly eggs laid on them, as well as genetic analyses. The population has been found to be characterised by low genetic diversity and estimated at only a few tens of individuals. The foodplant availability turned out to be the most obvious factor limiting M. alcon abundance. Nevertheless, the life expectancy of adult butterflies is fairly long, and their flight period very short, implying that most individuals occur within the same time window. Together with the relatively little protandry observed, i.e. almost synchronous emergence of males and females, this increases the chances of random mating among the individuals. Moreover, the butterflies move freely across the core habitat fragment. All things concerned, the effective population size is presumably not much lower than the recorded population size. Our findings provide guidelines for pinpointing those among 'living dead' populations that are likely to be the most persistent and thus worth conservation efforts aimed at preserving them.

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“…Considerable differences in individual life span between ecotypes were reported in studies on Phengaris alcon, with the form related to xerothermic grasslands (formerly considered a distinct species P. rebeli; see e.g. Bereczki et al, 2018) twice as long as imagoes than those from wet meadows (Timuș et al, 2013). However, it is important to note that there are phenological differences in the flight period of both P. alcon ecotypes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat‐related differences in the adult longevity of two ecotypes of a specialized butterfly

et al. 2018

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The life expectancy of adult butterflies is highly diverse. Substantial variation may be found among closely related species, and even on the intraspecific level, where it could be associated with sex, genetic differentiation, diet and weather conditions. We compared the demographic parameters of populations of the regionally endangered Boloria eunomia butterfly living in two different habitats. Across its boreal‐mountane distribution range in Europe, B. eunomia occurs in two ecotypes associated with wet meadows and raised bogs using distinct both larval and nectar plants. We carried out simultaneous studies of both ecotypes through mark–recapture surveys of two large populations in NE Poland, located close to each other. A total number of 1124 and 644 individuals were marked at the bog and meadow sites respectively, and 51 and 33% of them were recaptured at least once. The estimated adult population size of the bog population (about 3000) was twice as large as that of the meadow population, which however was characterized by more than three‐fold higher density. The emergence of imagoes was highly synchronized, and protandry was evident. The sex ratio was slightly male‐biased and the mean capture probability was significantly higher for males. More importantly, the estimated life span of males was considerably shorter than that of females at each site. Finally, both sexes of the ‘meadow’ ecotype lived significantly longer than those from the raised bog. The detected pattern can be related to distinct larval food plants and/or nectar resources, different pressures from predators, genetic variation and morphological differences affecting thermal properties. Further investigations would be useful to reveal if the shorter adult life span translates into reduced viability of bog populations and consequently whether they are potentially more threatened, at least in the southern margins of the distribution range in Central Europe.

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Maculinea rebeli (Hirschke) – a phantom or reality? Novel contribution to a long‐standing debate over the taxonomic status of an enigmatic Lycaenidae butterfly

Cited by 14 publications

References 75 publications

Changes in host ant communities of Alcon Blue butterflies in abandoned mountain hay meadows

Changes in host ant communities of Alcon Blue butterflies in abandoned mountain hay meadows

What keeps ‘living dead’ alive: demography of a small and isolated population of Maculinea (= Phengaris) alcon

Habitat‐related differences in the adult longevity of two ecotypes of a specialized butterfly

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