On the Ecology and Conservation of Sericinus montelus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) – Its Threats in Xiaolongshan Forests Area (China)

Xiushan Li,Oliver Schweiger,Josef Settele,Youqing Luo,Haiyu Yang,Qingsen Yang,Carlos López-Vaamonde

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150833

Abstract

Contents and MethodsHere we present a detailed analysis of the life history, mobility and habitat requirements of the butterfly Sericinus montelus on the basis of extensive field observations, experimental breeding, capture-mark- recapture (CMR) and transect surveys.Life HistoryWe found that S. montelus has three generations per year and overwinters as pupae on shrub branches in Xiaolongshan. The adults of first generation have a peak of emergence in late April. The second generation emerges at the end of June and the third in early to middle August. Within the study region, larvae of S. montelus are monophagous on Aristolochia contorta. Adults fly slowly and lay eggs in clusters.Key FactorsLife tables show that natural enemies and human activities such as mowing, weeding and trampling during the egg and larval stages are key factors causing high mortality, killing up to 43% of eggs and 72% of larvae thereby limiting population growth and recovery.Population EcologyThe populations of S. montelus in Xiaolongshan have a rather patchy distribution. According to CMR data, adults fly a maximum distance of 700m within a lifespan of 6 days. The host plant A. contorta, grows along the low banks of fields, irrigation ditches and paths, and can be highly affected by agricultural activities, like mowing, weeding and herding, which impact larval survival.Population MaintenanceFor S. montelus should mainly focus on reducing agricultural threats to the host plant A. contorta and on increasing habitat connectivity.

Highlights

Habitat loss and degradation as well as climate change are considered as major drivers altering the performance, abundance and distribution of wild plants and animals [1,2,3,4,5]
Along farmland margins as well as along ponds various butterflies including Papilio xuthus could often be seen in gardens and around the villages in the 1970’s in the suburbs of the city of Lanzhou (Gansu Province, China; Li, pers. observations)
S. montelus mainly occurs in the North of China, Russia, Korea and Japan [28,29]

Summary

Introduction

Habitat loss and degradation as well as climate change are considered as major drivers altering the performance, abundance and distribution of wild plants and animals [1,2,3,4,5]. Since the economy of China developed rapidly during the last decades, the resulting increased human activities already caused tremendous losses and fragmentation of habitats and corresponding butterfly diversity [17,11]. Since the 1980’s, due to higher economic rewards, agriculture has shifted to vegetable farming and agro-chemicals such as insecticides are more commonly used. This increase in agricultural intensity seems to be accompanied by drastic losses of biodiversity since many species of butterflies and other groups have vanished from the agricultural areas. There is hardly a trace of these species, and the only remaining common butterfly is the cosmopolitan Pieris rapae, which often acts as a pest species

Methods

Results

Conclusion