Habitat utilization by Lopinga achine (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) larvae and ovipositing females:: implications for conservation

Habitat utilization by larvae and ovipositing females of the red-Databook-listed butterfly Lopinga achine was studied in partly open woodland in the province of Ostergotland, Sweden. Egg-laying females and larvae were found to have specific habitat requirements, being restricted to a narrow zone along the edges of glades under the tree and bush canopy. This dependence on edges can be ascribed to two factors: first, egg survival was much higher at forest edges, being 48% compared with 12 and 14% in the sun of the open glades and in the shade, respectively. Second, host plant abundance in the shade under the tree and bush canopy is highest near the edge of the glades. The results have important conservation implications. Management to maintain glades and suitable edges is probably necessary for the long-term conservation of L. achine. Numbers of L. achine are probably a function of the area of edge-habitat suitable for oviposition, and the species seems to be sensitive to the amount of tree and bush cover. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.