Abstract
The diversity and evolution of host-plant relationships of butterflies has been the subject of much research. In this context, an interesting species is the bog fritillary Boloria eunomia. Across its boreo-montane distribution there are several ecotypes of this butterfly (sometimes distinguished as subspecies), which inhabit distinctly different habitats. However, little is known about the relationships between these forms in terms of host-plant use. We compared larval preferences of two ecotypes in north-eastern Poland, a unique region that is inhabited by different evolutionary lineages of B. eunomia. Larvae of the meadow ecotype reared in captivity were able to grow and develop exclusively on Persicaria bistorta, i.e., their 'native' host plant. In contrast, larvae originating from populations inhabiting raised bogs generally showed poorer survival, though they accepted both Ericaceae species growing in their biotope and P. bistorta, a plant that does not occur in their biotope. They did not show clear food preferences, but mortality was lowest when they were fed Vaccinium uliginosum. This is puzzling as field observations indicate that Vaccinium oxycoccus is the main host plant in the area studied. However, our findings are consistent with the results of phylogeographical studies indicating that meadows were the ancestral habitats of B. eunomia and some populations adapted later to different biotopes. The poor survival of larvae of the bog ecotype recorded in the present study may indicate that this form is at least locally potentially more vulnerable than the other ecotype.
Highlights
The question of butterfly larval food preferences and the level of their specialization has been widely studied
The larvae of the bog ecotype developed on plants native for this ecotype, V. oxycoccus, A. polifolia and V. uliginosum, as well as on P. bistorta
We demonstrate the ability of larvae of the bog ecotype to develop on P. bistorta, a host plant native of the meadow ecotype
Summary
The question of butterfly larval food preferences and the level of their specialization has been widely studied. There are different levels of host plant specialization ranging from polyphagy to monophagy. Polyphagous species can use many plants belonging to different families and/or orders Oligophagous species feed on several closely related plants, i.e., belonging to a single family (e.g. Burghardt & Fiedler, 1996; Cleary et al, 2002). Monophagy should be treated carefully, and there are examples of descriptions of new larval host plants for butterflies previously considered as monophagous on a global or regional scale (e.g. Döring & Hoffmann, 2004; Švitra & Sielezniew, 2010). Host use sometimes differs regionally, in relation to the distributions of potential larval food plants, but this may be connected with additional local factors (Quinn et al, 1998; Martin & Pullin, 2004). Species considered generally as poly- or oligophagous can be monophagous at a local scale (Meister et al, 2015)
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