EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY

Eur. J. Entomol. 103 (3): 587-595, 2006 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2006.079

Egg-laying preferences of the xerophilous ecotype of Maculinea alcon (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in the Aggtelek National Park

Ervin ÁRNYAS, Judit BERECZKI, Andrea TÓTH, Katalin PECSENYE, Zoltán VARGA

Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Pf. 3, H-4010 Debrecen, Hungary ;

The oviposition sites of the xerophilous ecotype of M. alcon (= "Maculinea rebeli") were surveyed in the managed (transitional) zone of the Aggtelek National Park and Biosphere Reserve in Northern Hungary. The M. alcon population is distributed over a territory of about 3 ha. In 2001, habitat reconstruction with selective cutting of shrubs and mowing, was started in this area. The number of stems of Gentiana cruciata (the food plant for the young larvae) and M. alcon eggs layed on them were counted in a selected area within this 3 ha: before (in 1992, 1993 and 1998) and after habitat reconstruction (in 2003, 2004 and 2005). In 2004 and 2005, a detailed study was carried out in order to detect potentially significant factors influencing the egg laying behaviour of females. The average number of intact flowering stems per quadrate was 2.68 and was clearly decreasing before management started. In contrast, there were five times higher (15.06) and increasing numbers of stems per quadrate right after habitat reconstruction. The two periods also differed in the percentage of flowering stems, which was very low before habitat reconstruction. The average number of eggs per square was low (6.8) and fluctuated considerably before management started. In contrast, the egg count was high (160.3) and increased consistently after the site was managed. The short grass sward created in the area proved to be advantageous both for the growth of the host plant and for the Maculinea population. The egg laying preference of the females was positively affected by the number of stems per clump, the height of the stems, the number of whorls with flowers and the difference between the height of the stems of the host plant and the surrounding vegetation. Significantly more eggs were found on large clumps of stems than expected on the basis of their availability for egg-laying. Egg counts were strongly correlated with all the measured characteristics of the food plant, which significantly correlated with each other. The interaction term indicated that the number of whorls with flowers is slightly more influential for egg laying than the other characteristics. There were significantly more eggs on the adaxial surface of the leaves and flower buds than on other parts of the food plant.

Keywords: Egg-laying preference, xerophilous ecotype of Maculinea alcon, clumps of Gentiana stems, Aggtelek National Park

Received: May 18, 2005; Revised: January 27, 2006; Accepted: January 27, 2006; Published: July 3, 2006  Show citation