Determinants of within-patch microdistribution and movements of endangered butterfly Coenonympha oedippus (Fabricius, 1787) (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)

Abstract

The within-patch microdistribution and movements of adults of the critically endangered butterfly, Coenonympha oedippus, were studied using mark-recapture data from an isolated patch network, which consisted of 8 patches in central Slovenia. The impact of patch characteristics on both parameters was analyzed. Males fly longer distances and spend more time flying than females. The distances and seasonal pattern of male movements were dependent on the patch size, and on the microdistribution and density of freshly emerged (receptive) females. The spatial and temporal pattern of female microdistribution was influenced by vegetation height, the homogeneity of host plant stands and the shading of the ground and/or the lowest parts of herb layer. In the case of near continuous distribution of host plants within a patch, the structure of herb vegetation appears to be the major determinant of adult microdistribution. It affects the dynamics of butterfly emergence and the selection of oviposition sites. The per cent cover of the nectar plant, Potentilla erecta, does not play an important role in butterfly microdistribution.