The lifecycle and ecology of the Spinose Skipper – Favria cribrellum (Eversmann, 1841) in the Republic of North Macedonia (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae)

The Spinose Skipper, Favria cribrellum (Eversmann, 1841) [formerly in Muschampia] is considered to be a very localised species in Eastern Europe occurring in only a small number of isolated colonies. Its ecology, especially relating to its host plant, has long remained unknown. Only in the last decade of research has more light been shed on the distribution and habitat requirements of this species in its western range. The host plant of the Spinose Skipper in the Republic of North Macedonia is revealed for the first time. Three eggs and three larvae were discovered in 2017 on a species of Potentilla, tentatively identified as P. detommasii, from a site near Govrlevo, SW of Skopje. The choice of a cinquefoil as a hostplant provides new evidence to support the species recent separation from the genus Muschampia

High resolution DNA barcode library for European butterflies reveals continental patterns of mitochondrial genetic diversity

The study of global biodiversity will greatly benefit from access to comprehensive DNA barcode libraries at continental scale, but such datasets are still very rare. Here, we assemble the first high-resolution reference library for European butterflies that provides 97% taxon coverage (459 species) and 22,306 COI sequences. We estimate that we captured 62% of the total haplotype diversity and show that most species possess a few very common haplotypes and many rare ones. Specimens in the dataset have an average 95.3% probability of being correctly identified. Mitochondrial diversity displayed elevated haplotype richness in southern European refugia, establishing the generality of this key biogeographic pattern for an entire taxonomic group. Fifteen percent of the species are involved in barcode sharing, but two thirds of these cases may reflect the need for further taxonomic research. This dataset provides a unique resource for conservation and for studying evolutionary processes, cryptic species, phylogeography, and ecology.Peer reviewe

The atlas of mitochondrial genetic diversity for Western Palaearctic butterflies

Motivation Butterflies represent a model in biology and a flagship group for invertebrate conservation. We provide four new resources for the Western Palaearctic butterflies: (1) an updated checklist comprising 552 species; (2) a curated dataset of 32,126 mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences for 532 species, including a de novo reference library for the Maghreb (Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia) and Macaronesia (Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands); (3) seven indexes of intraspecific genetic variation (IGV): observed and expected number of haplotypes, haplotype and nucleotide diversity, two fixation indexes and maximum p-distance; and (4) species-level maps illustrating the distribution of COI variability and haplotype networks. The updated checklist will be fundamental for any application dealing with butterfly diversity in the Western Palaearctic. The IGV indexes provide measures for genetic polymorphism and spatial structure and represent proxies for dispersal capacity. These resources will facilitate comparative studies of macrogenetics, foster integrative taxonomy and aid conservation strategies. Main types of variables contained A complete species checklist in table format, 32,126 mitochondrial DNA barcodes provided with metadata (species membership, WGS84 coordinates and sequence length) and a book in PDF format, including the IGV atlas and indexes, are provided. Spatial location and grain The checklist encompasses Europe up to the Urals in the east, north Macaronesia (the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands) and the Maghreb (Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia). COI sequences have been retained in the geographical interval of -31.3 to 67.5° of longitude and 27.5 - 71.2° of latitude. Time period and grain COI sequences originate from studies published between 1998 and 2022 and from de novo sequencing of 2541 specimens done between 2007 and 2022. Major taxa and level of measurement Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea), analysed from individual to species level. Software format Data and functions to manage the dataset are provided in the iodatabase R package (https://github.com/leondap/iodatabase) and in Dryad (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9w0vt4bjj).Support for this research was provided by the Academy of Finland (Academy Research Fellow, decision no. 328895) and by a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programme (project no. 625997) to V.D., by “la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434) to M.M. (grant LCF/BQ/DR20/11790020), and by projects CGL2010-21226/BOS and CGL2013-48277-P (Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad), CGL2016-76322 (AEI/FEDER, UE), PID2019-107078GB-I00 (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) and 2017-SGR-991 (Generalitat de Catalunya) to R.Vi., the grant BES-2017-080641 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ESF Investing in your future” to J.C.H., the project PID2020-117739GA-I00 (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) to G.T., and by the Direttiva Biodiversità 2019 and 2020 projects (Ministero della Transizione Ecologica) to L.D.1 INTRODUCTION 2 METHODS 2.1 Checklists and geographical ranges 2.2 Data acquisition, curation and quality control 2.3 Indexes of genetic variation 2.4 Maps of genetic variation 2.5 Haplotype networks 2.6 Script availability 3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FUNDING INFORMATION CONFLICT OF INTEREST BIOSKETC

Extended methods from Round-trip across the Sahara: Afrotropical Painted Lady butterflies recolonize the Mediterranean in early spring

Extended description of methods of stable isotope analyses and natal origin assigment

Table S1. Sampled Vanessa cardui specimens from Round-trip across the Sahara: Afrotropical Painted Lady butterflies recolonize the Mediterranean in early spring

Sampled Vanessa cardui specimens. Locality, date and ∂2H isotope values are shown. Individual assignments to each of the 6 natal groups based on a k-means clustering analysis are indicated. For those sites where migratory movements were observed, wind direction (a.g.l), migration direction and approximate migrant frequency of pass are also specified

Video of migration from Round-trip across the Sahara: Afrotropical Painted Lady butterflies recolonize the Mediterranean in early spring

Video records showing northwards migratory movements of Vanessa cardui butterflies in Southern Morocco (28 February 2017

Contribution to the knowledge of the butterfly fauna of Albania

Albanian insect fauna is one of the least studied in Europe. In 2012 and 2013 surveys were undertaken with the aim of improving the knowledge of the distribution of butterflies, particularly in the southern part of the country. This research has resulted in the publication of three new species records for Albania. Here we add two new species to the list of native butterflies of Albania, Melitaea ornata Christoph, 1893 and Cupido alcetas (Hoffmannsegg, 1804). We recorded a total of 143 species including several confirmations of historical published records. The total number of species has consequently increased to 198, which is comparable with butterfly diversity in neighbouring countries. Unlike its neighbours, Albania has preserved many of its traditional agricultural practices and consequently its rich fauna has been well protected during the last decades. However, with the opening up of the country to outside influences this will undoubtedly change as the process of intensification has already started in more populated coastal areas. It is therefore imperative to identify important butterfly areas in need of conservation and to take decisive measures to preserve traditional agricultural practices

Dos and Don’ts for butterflies of the Habitats Directive of the European Union

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