Microhabitat selection by ovipositing females and pre-diapause larvae of a Welsh population of Euphydryas aurinia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Abstract

Habitat requirements of the marsh fritillary Euphydryas aurinia have been studied intensively in recent years in order to inform conservation action on this rapidly declining species. Autecological studies have been undertaken on various spatial scales to account for differences in mobility between life stages. It has become clear that resource utilisation by the species varies between different geographic areas and also on a local scale. We studied the microhabitat surrounding Succisa pratensis plants chosen for oviposition and around resulting larval webs in a key Welsh population, UK. Microhabitat preferences were shown to differ between ovipositing females and pre-diapause larval groups. For oviposition, females showed a preference for host plants within clusters of S. pratensis surrounded by a relatively low sward. In contrast, larval webs were found in relatively high vegetation with relatively low S. pratensis cover in the immediate vicinity. The marked difference between oviposition and larval web microhabitat was achieved through very long distance dispersals undertaken by the pre-diapause larval groups. This gives rise to questioning the common assumption that pre-diapause larval web location can be used as a proxy for oviposition location. It also underpins the importance of managing E. aurinia habitats for maximum structural variability on a small scale.

Abandonment of traditional land use and climate change threaten the survival of an endangered relict butterfly species

“…A sufficient amount of food is a prerequisite for successful larval development. Therefore, everything else being equal, butterflies should prefer a high cover of host plants over a low one at oviposition sites (García‐Barros & Fartmann, 2009; Pschera & Warren, 2018). As shown by Bauerfeind et al .…”

Within-habitat vegetation structure and adult activity patterns of the declining butterfly Euphydryas aurinia

“…So far, studies targeting E. aurinia focused mainly on consequences of its metapopulation dynamics, i.e., modelling of colonisation/extinction probability (Wahlberg et al 2002;Schtickzelle et al 2005;Bulman et al 2007;Zimmermann et al 2011b), genetic population structure (Wang et al 2003;Sigaard et al 2008;Davis et al 2021;Junker et al 2021;Pertoldi et al 2021), and larval habitat requirements (Anthes et al 2003;Tjørnløv et al 2015, Psechera andWarren 2018). The patterns of habitat use by adults remain rather neglected, despite existing evidence that the structuring of adult habitats influences multiple vital aspects of many Nymphalidae (e.g., Janz 2005;Swartz et al 2015;Sielezniew et al 2019;Vrba et al 2021), including representatives of the Euphydryas genus.…”

Multi‐surveyor capture‐mark‐recapture as a powerful tool for butterfly population monitoring in the pre‐imaginal stage

“…Egg counts and records of larval webs play an important role in the study of habitat requirements and oviposition preferences (Anthes et al, 2003 ; Pennekamp et al, 2013 ; Pschera & Warren, 2018 ). However, they were only used in some flagship species such as Euphydryas maturna , Melitaea cinxia , Phengaris alcon , and the lappet moth Eriogaster catax to provide information on species abundance (Dolek et al, 2018 ; Hanski, 2011 ; Hanski & Singer, 2001 ; Kajzer‐Bonk & Nowicki, 2022 ; Nowicki, 2017 ; Ojanen et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Egg counts and records of larval webs play an important role in the study of habitat requirements and oviposition preferences (Anthes et al, 2003;Pennekamp et al, 2013;Pschera & Warren, 2018).…”