Search results for "Butterfly"

Systematic review of the effects of chemical insecticides on four common butterfly families

2017

Safeguarding crop productivity by protecting crops from pest attacks entails the wide use of plant protection products that provide a quick, easy and cheap solution. The objective of this study is to understand the effects of insecticides used in agriculture on non-target butterflies, specifically on the families Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae, and Papilionidae. To achieve this goal, a formal systematic review was performed according to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidelines, by entering a combination of keywords on 3 online databases. Three reviewers independently extracted information on study characteristics and quality. The main results were collected and grouped by the …

How many scales on the wings? A case study based on Colias crocea (Geoffroy, 1785) (Hexapoda: Lepidoptera, Pieridae)

2019

Abstract The covering by scales of the wings of Lepidoptera contributes to multiple functions that are critical for their survival and reproduction. In order to gain a better understanding about their distribution, we have exhaustively studied 4 specimens of Colias crocea (Geoffroy, 1785). We have quantified the sources of variability affecting scale density. The results indicate that the scale covering of butterfly wings may be remarkably heterogeneous, and that the importance of the sources of variability differs between forewings and hindwings. Thus, in forewing the greatest variability occurs between sectors, while in the hindwings it occurs between sides, with a higher density of scale…

Adaptation of a tropical butterfly to a temperate climate

2017

Transparency reduces predator detection in chemically protected clearwing butterflies

2018

Abstract1. Predation is an important selective pressure and some prey have evolved warning colour signals advertising unpalatability (i.e. aposematism) as an antipredator strategy. Unexpectedly, some butterfly species from the unpalatable tribe Ithomiini possess transparent wings, an adaptation rare on land but common in water where it helps avoiding predator detection.2. We tested if transparency of butterfly wings was associated with decreased detectability by predators, by comparing four butterfly species exhibiting different degrees of transparency, ranging from fully opaque to largely transparent. We tested our prediction using using both wild birds and humans in behavioural experiment…

Specialist butterflies benefit most from the ecological restoration of mires

2016

Abstract Anthropogenic disturbances cause biotic homogenization through the replacement of specialist species with generalists. Restoration has the potential to counteract these negative effects. Recently, restoration in the peatlands of Northern Europe has started to show positive effects on biodiversity. However, seldom have studies evaluated the response of insects to restoration by comparing populations prior to restoration to those thereafter with a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) design. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the restoration actions taken were appropriate to facilitate the successful recolonization of mire butterflies and plants. We found that, generally, dr…

Ecological correlates of distribution change and range shift in butterflies

2011

1. In order to be effective custodians of biodiversity, one must understand what ecological characteristics predispose species to population decline, range contraction, and, eventually, to extinction. 2. The present paper analyses distribution change (area of occupancy) and range shift (extent and direction) of the threatened and non-threatened butterfly species in Finland, and identifies species-specific ecological characteristics promoting changes in distribution and range. 3. Overall, the range of butterflies has shifted along the climatic isotherms, suggesting that climate change has influenced species’ ranges. Interestingly, though, threatened species have moved very little and not to …

Host plant use by the Heath fritillary butterfly, Melitaea athalia : plant habitat, species and chemistry

2008

We present a study of habitat use, oviposition plant choice, and food plant suitability for the checkerspot butterfly Melitaea athalia Rottemburg (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Aland, Finland. We found that in Aland, unlike in the mainland of Finland and many parts of its range, M. athalia flies mainly in open meadows. When offered an array of plants in a large (32 × 26 m) field cage, they predominately oviposited upon Veronica chamaedrys L., V. spicata L. and Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae), which grow in open meadows. The relative abundance of the butterfly in Aland, and its habitat and host plant use there, may reflect local adaptation to land use practices and geology that mainta…

Oviposition Cues for a Specialist Butterfly–Plant Chemistry and Size

2008

The oviposition choice of an insect herbivore is based on a complex set of stimuli and responses. In this study, we examined the effect of plant secondary chemistry (the iridoid glycosides aucubin and catalpol) and aspects of size of the plant Plantago lanceolata, on the oviposition behavior of the specialist butterfly Melitaea cinxia. Iridoid glycosides are known to deter feeding or decrease the growth rate of generalist insect herbivores, but can act as oviposition cues and feeding stimulants for specialized herbivores. In a previous observational study of M. cinxia in the field, oviposition was associated with high levels of aucubin. However, this association could have been the cause (b…

Castniidae of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Wrocław: new findings from Friedrich Wilhelm Niepelt's collection with comments on K…

2021

Further results of our research into the Giant Butterfly-Moths (Castniidae) of the Museum of Natural History (University of Wrocław) are presented. Castniids of the Niepelt collection had previously been reviewed. However, while curating other sections of the Lepidoptera collection, we discovered 18 misplaced specimens belonging to nine taxa of Castniidae, several of them bearing typical labels by Niepelt. Among them, two are of particular interest, insofar as they are associated with the world-class botanists August Weberbauer (1871–1948) and Karl Adolf Georg Lauterbach (1864–1937).

Identity of the Calcarata species complex in Viola sect. Melanium (Violaceae)

2020

The Calcarata species complex in Viola sect. Melanium (Violaceae) is a group of species from Italy and neighbouring islands. The complex is of considerable evolutionary interest because several hypotheses about hybrid speciation within the group have been previously proposed. Because the Calcarata complex is not well characterized morphologically, we used 142 samples representing 92 (of c. 120) species of V. sect. Melanium plus three outgroup species. Nuclear ITS and ETS and plastid trnS–trnG intergenic spacer sequences were analysed to test the monophyly of the Calcarata complex and to infer relationships among the constituent species. Both nuclear and plastid sequences resulted in very li…