Use of space and resources in a Mediterranean population of the butterfly Euphydryas aurinia

Abstract

Population parameters of a central Spanish population of the marsh fritillary butterfly, Euphydryas aurinia (Rott.), were studied between 1990 and 1991. Numbers were very similar in the two study years, but adult emergence was delayed 15 days in the second year as a consequence of variation in weather conditions. The nectar sources used by adults were different in the two years and were correlated with the most abundant plants available during the flight period. Adult abundance was correlated with the presence of the larval foodplant ( Lonicera periclymenum) in open woodland and was higher where this habitat was mixed with open areas, where nectar sources abound. Estimates of male population numbers were higher than those of females, suggesting that males used wider ranges than females, or a higher residence rate for males. Nevertheless mobility did not differ significantly between the sexes. The conservation of the species in central Spain depends on maintaining patches of oak woodlands, important for the presence of larval foodplants. Large numbers of the butterfly in the Natural Park study area are favoured by traditional management including charcoal production and extensive grazing by cattle and goats.