Habitat utilization by the heath fritillary butterfly, Mellicta athalia ssp. celadussa (Rott.) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in montane grasslands of different management

Abstract

Habitat suitability for larval and/or adult Mellicta athalia ssp. celadussa (Rott.) was examined in a variety of grassland types: traditionally cultivated hay meadows, different successional stages of abandoned grasslands and differently managed abandoned grasslands. Larval food-plants and caterpillars occurred almost exclusively in traditionally cultivated hay meadows and in recently abandoned grasslands. Adult M. athalia were abundant in all types of habitat studied. Females used all habitat types for nectar foraging corresponding to flowers in bloom. However, males seem to separate the study area into a mating habitat (hay meadows and recently abandoned grasslands) and a feeding habitat (mature abandoned grasslands rich in flowers). Mark-release-recapture data support these activity patterns, indicated by the large number of movements between these two habitat types. Two years of mowing abandoned grasslands show no effect on larval food plants and a slightly positive effect on the abundance of nectar sources, indicating that regeneration of traditionally cut hay meadows from mature abandoned grasslands is a long-term process. The importance of conserving a variety of habitats within a whole landscape in order to maintain M. athalia as well as many other butterfly species in the alpine region is advocated.