SURVEY OF DISPERSION ABILITY AND HABITAT SELECTION OF MELITAEA TELONA KOVACSI VARGA, 1967 (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE) IN THE AGGTELEK-KARST AREA
Abstract
Melitaea telona kovacsi is a significant species for nature conservation. The known range has shown remarkable regression in Hungary. In order to conserve this species it is important to collect basic biological information. Dispersal ability and movement patterns can considerably vary between species. These can be studied with the traditional capture-recapture method.
307 M. telona and 139 M. phoebe individuals were marked and 12% recaptured during May 2009 in ten sample quadrats. We estimated the densities of the food plant (Cirsium pannonicum) and of the most important nectar source (Dianthus pontederae).
M. telona is less localized: the species is able to reach habitat patches several hundred metres distant. It tends to occur in high numbers where the food plant has a significant density. In these sites, fewer M. phoebe were found, while they were shown in higher numbers in the degraded habitats. Our data suggests that the density of the food plant is more limiting than the density of nectar sources in habitat selection by M. telona.
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