First record of Proterebia phegea (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae) from Albania

We provide information on the unexpected discovery of Proterebia phegea in Albania, the fourth distinct distribution area for the species in the Balkan Peninsula. The butterfly was found to be numerous on south-facing slopes at Qafa e Buallit pass in Dibër County. The most striking characteristic of the habitat is the sandy brown ophiolite rocky substrate, compared to limestone areas in other parts of its range. Habitat structure and vegetation are otherwise similar to the more overgrown sites in the Dalmatian part of its range. Given the widespread presence of ophiolite rocks in eastern Albania, the species could be significantly more widespread in the country; however, further surveys are required. Two additional rare species in Albania, Erynnis marloyi and Anthocharis gruneri, were also recorded in the area

Velebitski planinski okaš Erebia gorge vagana (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) još uvijek prisutan na Velebitu

After more than 70 years the endemic subspecies of Silky Ringlet Erebia gorge vagana was again observed at the type locality near Vaganski vrh on Mt Velebit, Croatia. At least four adults were seen on north-facing screes in August 2014. As it is limited to the highest parts of the mountain, the species is severely threatened by current climate change and long term monitoring of this isolated population would be of great scientific importance.Nakon više od 70 godina endemska podvrsta velebitski planinski okaš Erebia gorge vagana ponovno je pronađena na tipskom lokalitetu blizu Vaganskog vrha na Velebitu, Hrvatska. Na sjeverno eksponiranom točilu u kolovozu 2014. bile su opažene najmanje četiri jedinke. S obzirom da je vrsta ograničena na najviše dijelove planine, trenutne klimatske promjene predstavljaju ozbiljnu prijetnju, pa bi dugoročno praćenje te izolirane populacije bilo od velike znanstvene važnosti

Prilog fauni danjih leptira (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) planine Kozjak, Split, Hrvatska

Mt Kozjak is an elongated mountain ridge situated in central Dalmatia, just above the Riviera of Kaštela near Split. It was well surveyed a century ago by Hermann Stauder who recorded 38 butterfly species. Among these, Papilio alexanor was the most prominent discovery. During our surveys from 2007 to 2018, we recorded 82 butterfly species at 19 localities bringing the total of observed species to 87. We managed to confirm the presence of Papilio alexanor more than hundred years after the first observation in the area. The occurrence of some additional rare and interesting species like Carcharodus orientalis, Pyrgus sidae, Pyrgus serratulae, Parnassius mnemosyne, Euchloe ausonia, Cupido osiris, Polyommatus admetus and Hyponephele lycaon is discussed in more detail. The butterfly fauna of Mt Kozjak is very diverse given its geographic position, low habitat diversity and size. Abandonment of pasturing and subsequent overgrowing of calcareous grasslands is the most important factor causing long term butterfly decline on Mt Kozjak.Planina Kozjak izduženi je planinski greben smješten u središnjoj Dalmaciji, iznad Kaštela u blizini Splita. Prije jednog stoljeća to je područje dobro istražio Herman Stauder te je zabilježio 38 vrsta danjih leptira. Među njima, najistaknutiji je nalaz vrste Papilio alexanor. Tijekom našeg istraživanja koje je trajalo od 2007. do 2018. zabilježili smo 82 vrsta leptira na 19 lokaliteta, povećavajući broj poznatih vrsta na 87. Uspjeli smo potvrditi i prisutnost vrste Papilio alexanor, preko 100 godina nakon prvih opažanja na tome području. Dodatno raspravljamo o nalazima rijetkih ili zanimljivih vrsta poput Carcharodus orientalis, Pyrgus sidae, Pyrgus serratulae, Parnassius mnemosyne, Euchloe ausonia, Cupido osiris, Polyommatus admetus i Hyponephele lycaon. Fauna leptira planine Kozjak vrlo je raznolika s obzirom na svoj geografski položaj, nisku raznolikost staništa i veličinu. Napuštanje ispaše i zarastanje vapnenačkih travnjaka najvažniji su čimbenici koji uzrokuju dugoročno opadanje raznolikosti leptira na Kozjaku

Butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Svilaja Mountain, Dalmatia

Svilaja is a 30 km-long mountain range in the Outer Dinarides in the hinterland of northern Dalmatia, between the rivers Cetina and Čikola. It has never been the target of systematic butterfly surveys and its fauna remained completely unknown. During our surveys from 2019 to 2022, we recorded 112 butterfly species at 37 sites. The butterfly richness of the Svilaja Mountain is higher than that of the Mosor and Kozjak Mountains nearer to the coast, but similar to that of the Biokovo Mountains and lower than that of the nearby, much larger Dinara Mountains. However, the biogeographical composition of the mountains compared is similar, with dominant Euro-Siberian and Euro-Oriental faunal elements, but an obvious decrease in the number of montane species in all other mountains compared to the Dinara Mountains. New records are discussed for some species for which there is little information for Croatia or Dalmatia, such as Carcharodus orientalis, Pyrgus carthami, Tarucus balkanicus, Aricia artaxerxes, Polyommatus ripartii, Melitaea ornata, Melitaea athalia, Coenonympha rhodopensis and Hyponephele lupina. Although most of Svilaja Mountain is part of the Natura 2000 network, many of the sites with high conservation value are located outside the area. Overall, the abandonment and overgrowth of grasslands present the most imminent threat to butterfly diversity in the region

DISTRIBUTION AND THREATS OF PHENGARIS TELEIUS (LEPIDOPTERA: LYCAENIDAE) IN NORTHERN SERBIA

The paper provides an overview on the distribution of recently discovered Scarce Large Blue (Phengaris (Maculinea) teleius) in northern Serbia (Selevenj Sands, Ludaš Lake and Subotica Sands). Mapping of the butterfly and its habitat has shown that most of the suitable habitats are limited to protected areas where at least some of the wet meadows with Sanguisorba officinalis host plant are suitably managed and regularly mown. Given the known maximum dispersal distances of P. teleius, the suitable habitat patches possibly support two separate meta-populations. Fragmentation and isolation of remaining colonies represent the main threats to long term survival of the species in Serbia. Based on IUCN criteria for regional red lists, the species qualifies as Endangered (EN) in Serbia and requires immediate conservation actions. Our results suggest that mowing is of high importance for maintaining suitable habitat. Until more is known about local ecological requirements of the species, general mowing recommendations should be followed with avoidance of mowing between mid June and mid September and providing a mosaic of different mowing regimes

Novi podatki o razširjenosti in razponu nadmorskih višin pojavljanja dalmatinskega rjavčka, Proterebia afra dalmata (Godart, [1824]) (Lepidoptera: Satyrinae) na Hrvaškem

During the survey of butterfly fauna of Dalmatian mountains in the last years, Proterebia afra dalmata (Godart, 1824) was found on several new sites, including the first records of this subspecies at higher altitudes (Poštak, Svilaja, Promina, Kamešnica and Dinara Mts.). In this paper we present a much more complete picture of the distribution of this presumably rare butterfly and discuss its altitudinal distribution. The species was found at altitude of almost 1500 m, therefore the characterization of the subspecies as a lowland butterfly can be dismissed.Med raziskavami favne metuljev dalmatinskih hribov v zadnjih letih smo vrsto Proterebia afra dalmata (Godart, 1824) našli na več novih lokalitetah, vključno s prvimi najdbami te podvrste na višjih nadmorskih višinah (gore Poštak, Svilaja, Promina, Kamešnica in Dinara). V članku predstavljamo veliko popolnejšo sliko razširjenosti tega domnevno redkega metulja in razpravljamo o njegovi višinski razširjenosti. Vrsto smo našli na skoraj 1500 m višine, zat omoramo zavreči opredelitev vrste kot nižinske

Prilog poznavanju faune leptira kopnenog dijela sjeverne Dalmacije

The mainland of northern Dalmatia has been surprisingly omitted from recent faunistic studies of butterfly fauna in the Croatian coastal region. In order to fill this gap we summarized our observations made in the regionduring the last two decades. Altogether 81 species were recorded, including several rare and potentially threatened species. Among these the distribution of the following species is discussed in detail: Carcharodus orientalis, Gegenes pumilio, Euchloe ausonia, Cacyreus marshalli, Tarucus balkanica, Polyommatus thersites, Euphydryas aurinia, Hyponephele lupina, and Proterebia afra. Although the butterfly diversity and conservation value of the region are not exceptionally high, some locations, in particular valleys of the Bijelina and Karišnica, could be designated as micro-reserves for conservation of high butterfly diversity including the majority of the threatened species in the region. Abandonment and subsequent overgrowing together with habitat destruction due to building of infrastructure and extensions of urban areas have been recognised as the most important factors causing butterfly declines in the region.Kopneni dio sjeverne Dalmacije iznenađujuće je izostavljen iz recentnih faunističkih istraživanja leptira obalnog dijela Hrvatske. Kako bi upotpunili tu prazninu, objedinili smo podatke i opažanja iz ovog područja prikupljene u zadnja dva desetljeća. Sveukupno smo zabilježili 81 vrstu leptira, uključujući i nekoliko rijetkih i potencijalno ugroženih vrsta. U radu detaljnije raspravljamo o rasprostranjenosti sljedećih vrsta: Carcharodus orientalis, Gegenes pumilio, Euchloe ausonia, Cacyreus marshalli, Tarucus balkanicus, Polyommatus thersites, Euphydryas aurinia, Hyponephele lupina i Proterebia afra. Iako zabilježena raznolikost leptira i očuvanost regije nije izrazito visoka, neka područja, posebice doline Bijeline i Karišnice mogu biti označene kao područja mikro-rezervata za očuvanja visoke raznolikosti leptira, uključujući i većinu ugroženih vrsta iz regije. Napuštanje i naknadno zarastanje zajedno s uništavanjem staništa zbog izgradnje infrastrukture i proširenja urbanih područja prepoznati su kao najvažniji čimbenici koji uzrokuju opadanje brojnosti leptira u regiji

Butterfly surveys in Albania during 2014 including the discovery of two new species for the country

During field surveys conducted in Albania in 2014, we encountered 90 species of butterflies. Anthocharis damone Boisduval, 1836 is a new species for the fauna of Albania while Apatura metis Freyer, 1829 is confirmed for the country. With these discoveries the number of butterfly species known to occur in Albania has risen to 200 and our surveys added many new sites for species considered rare and local in Albania. In addition, the life cycles of Lycaena ottomana (Lefèbvre, 1830) and Apatura metis from Albania are documented and discussed