The larva of Autographa buraetica (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)

The larva of Autographa buraetica (Staudinger, 1892) is described from materials based on ex ovo rearings carried out in Sweden in the summers 1989 and 1991. Description of mouthparts, chaetotaxy and ornaments are given with drawings and photographs. The larva can be separated from other species of Autographa, also from the sister species A. pulchrina (Haworth, 1809). The so-called "intermediate form" belongs to A. buraetica (not to A. pulchrina), but, based on a limited material, the "intermediate" larvae seem to show slight average differences to those of the "typical" A. buraetica

The Importance of Direct and Indirect Trophic Interactions in Determining the Presence of a Locally Rare Day-Flying Moth

Ecosystem engineers affect other organisms by creating, maintaining or modifying habitats, potentially supporting species of conservation concern. However, it is important to consider these interactions alongside non-engineering trophic pathways. We investigated the relative importance of trophic and non-trophic effects of an ecosystem engineer, red deer, on a locally rare moth, the transparent burnet ( Zygaena purpuralis ). This species requires specific microhabitat conditions, including the foodplant, thyme, and bare soil for egg-laying. The relative importance of grazing (i.e., trophic effect of modifying microhabitat) and trampling (i.e., non-trophic effect of exposing bare soil) by red deer on transparent burnet abundance are unknown. We tested for these effects using a novel method of placing pheromone-baited funnel traps in the field. Imago abundance throughout the flight season was related to plant composition, diversity and structure at various scales around each trap. Indirect effects of red deer activity were accounted for by testing red deer pellet and trail presence against imago abundance. Imago abundance was positively associated with thyme and plant diversity, whilst negatively associated with velvet grass and heather species cover. The presence of red deer pellets and trails were positively associated with imago abundance. The use of these sites by red deer aids the transparent burnet population via appropriate levels of grazing and the provision of a key habitat condition, bare soil, in the form of deer trails. This study shows that understanding how both trophic and non-trophic interactions affect the abundance of a species provides valuable insights regarding conservation objectives

Rewiring of interactions in a changing environment: nettle‐feeding butterflies and their parasitoids

Climate and land use change can alter the incidence and strength of biotic interactions, with important effects on the distribution, abundance and function of species. To assess the importance of these effects and their dynamics, studies quantifying how biotic interactions change in space and time are needed. We studied interactions between nettle‐feeding butterflies and their shared natural enemies (parasitoids) locally and across 500 km latitudinal gradient in Sweden. We also examined the potential impact of the range‐expansion of the butterfly Araschnia levana on resident butterflies via shared parasitoids, by studying how parasitism in resident butterflies covaries with the presence or absence of the newly‐established species. We collected 6777 larvae of four nettle‐feeding butterfly species (Aglais urticae, Aglais io, Ar. levana and Vanessa atalanta), over two years, at 19 sites distributed along the gradient. We documented the parasitoid complex for each butterfly species and measured their overlap, and analysed how parasitism rates were affected by butterfly species assemblage, variations in abundance, time, and the arrival of Ar. levana. Parasitoids caused high mortality, with substantial overlap in the complex of parasitoids associated with the four host butterflies. Levels of parasitism differed significantly among butterflies and were influenced by the local butterfly species assemblage. Our results also suggest that parasitism in resident butterflies is elevated at sites where Ar. levana has been established for a longer period. In our study system, variations in butterfly species assemblages were associated in a predictable way with substantial variations in rates of parasitism. This relationship is likely to affect the dynamics of the butterfly host species, and potentially cascade to the larger number of species with which they interact. These results highlight the importance of indirect interactions and their potential to reorganise ecological communities, especially in the context of shifts in species distributions in a warmer world

Revealing hidden species distribution with pheromones: the case of Synanthedon vespiformis (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) in Sweden

Synanthedon vespiformis L. (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) is considered a rare insect in Sweden, discovered in 1860, with only a few observations recorded until a sex pheromone attractant became available recently. This study details a national survey conducted using pheromones as a sampling method for this species. Through pheromone trapping we captured 439 specimens in Southern Sweden at 77 sites, almost tripling the number of previously reported records for this species. The results suggest that S. vespiformis is truly a rare species with a genuinely scattered distribution, but can be locally abundant. Habitat analyses were conducted in order to test the relationship between habitat quality and the number of individuals caught. In Sweden, S. vespiformis is thought to be associated with oak hosts, but our attempts to predict its occurrence by the abundance of oaks yielded no significant relationships. We therefore suggest that sampling bias and limited knowledge on distribution may have led to the assumption that this species is primarily reliant on oaks in the northern part of its range, whereas it may in fact be polyphagous, similar to S. vespiformis found as an agricultural pest in Central and Southern Europe. We conclude that pheromones can massively enhance sampling potential for this and other rare lepidopteran species. Large-scale pheromone-based surveys provide a snapshot of true presences and absences across a considerable part of a species national distribution range, and thus for the first time provide a viable means of systematically assessing changes in distribution over time with high spatiotemporal resolution

Intressanta fynd av storfjärilar (Macrolepidoptera) i Sverige 2020

This is the 48th annual report of new and interesting finds of Macrolepidoptera in Sweden with a compilation of new provincial records. This season was warm compared with what was previously average in Sweden, except for the north-easternmost parts of the country and some areas in the Swedish mountains, which partly experienced cool and wet weather. However, the summer temperatures were much less extreme than in 2018, with some cool spells as well. The presence of Gazoryctra ganna as a native species was confirmed by additional observations on the same site as in previous year, plus the discovery of new location further north in the Torne valley. A large number of species continues to expand northwards and inlands like Idaea emarginata, Apeira syringaria, Cryphia algae, Apameaepomidion, Cirrhia ocellaris, Atethmia centrago, Agrotis puta, Apamea scolopacina; and some also are rounding the Gulf of Bothnia from the east like Globia sparganii and Noctua comes. Many migrant species were found in periods with S-SE winds like Agriusconvolvuli, Acherontia atropos, Macroglossum stellatarum, Hyles euphorbiae, Orthonamaobstipata, Hypena lividalis, Eublemma purpurina, Heliothis peltigera, Heliothis adaucta, Heli-coverpa armigera, Spodoptera exigua, Fabula zollikoferi, Mythimna vitellina, Agrotisbigramma, Xestia ditrapezium and Nycteola asiatica. The globally widespread moth Utetheisapulchella was recorded for the first time in Sweden on the Baltic islands Öland and Gotland. The butterfly Melitaea britomartis (CR) could not be rediscovered for the second year and must now be considered as extinct in Sweden. In addition, the butterfly Plebejus argyrognomon(EN) was not found this year and appears to have gone extinct. Both these butterfly specieshave almost unique subspecies in Sweden which makes this loss very serious.

Intressanta fynd av storfjärilar(Macrolepidoptera) i Sverige 2021

This is the 49th consecutive annual report of new and interesting finds of Macrolepidopterain Sweden including a compilation of new provincial records, most of the new records are retrieved from the Swedish Species Observation System https://www.artportalen.se. The trend with warmer climate and thus longer vegetation periods continues to have a strong impact on faunal changes and the distribution of the Swedish Lepidopteran fauna. New species, mainly from south and east find their way almost yearly to our country. In 2021 three new species were observed for the first time in Sweden: Amata phegea, Mormo maura and Xylomoia graminea. The trend with expansion mainly northwards and inlands is still strong among species like: Zygaena minos, Pararge aegeria, Apatura ilia, Araschnia levana, Idaea ochrata, Mesoleuca albicillata, Hydrelia sylvata, Melanthia procellata, Eupithecia abbreviata, Cucullia scrophulariae, Cryphia algae, Hoplodrina ambigua, Atethmia centrago, Conisania luteago, Noctua interposita, Epilecta linogrisea, Meganola albula but also among many other species. A new and remarkable feature in the new climatic conditions is that species like Pararge aegeria, Watsonalla binaria and many others can produce full or partial second or even third generations in their just recently reached northernmost range limits. An impressive number of migrants found their way to Sweden, mostly from August to October. Among the more noteworthy are: Argynnis laodice, Acherontia atropos, Scopulani gropunctata, Orthonama obstipata, Horisme corticata, Narraga fasciolaria, Isturgia arenacearia, Rhyparia purpurata, Catocala elocata, Catocala electa, Chrysodeixis chalcites, Heliothis adaucta, Helicoverpa armigera, Caradrina kadenii, Mythimna vitellina, Peridromasaucium, Agrotis bigramma, Xestia ditrapezium, Nycteola asiatica. In northernmost Sweden Gazoryctra ganna was found for the third successive year, showing that the moth is resident in Sweden and presumably has been so during all the year it was not found. Also, one new, small population of Lycaena helle was found indicating that the species still lingers on 3-4 localities in Northernmost Sweden. In Skåne in southernmost Sweden the moths Lithostege farinata, Hadena filograna have been observed again after many years absence. They have been considered as nationally respectively regionally extinct, but hopefully new influx or some concealed unknown population may rescue the species survival in Skåne again. The number of macrolepidoptera found in Sweden is now 1130, of which 16 are introduced

Insektsferomoner i naturvårdens tjänst

abstract is not availabl