Land management impacts on European butterflies of conservation concern : a review

Recent land use changes, namely the intensification of agriculture and forestry as well as the abandonment of traditional grassland management methods, have resulted in the decline of butterfly diversity in Europe. Appropriate management of butterfly habitats is thus required in order to reverse this negative trend. The aim of our study was to review the available literary information concerning the effects of various types of management on European butterflies of conservation concern, and to provide practical recommendations for the management of butterfly habitats. Since vegetation succession is a major threat to butterfly populations, there is a need for activities to suppress this process. Extensive grazing and rotational mowing, which imitate the traditional way of meadow use, appear to be the most suitable management in this respect. Both grazing and mowing should optimally be of low intensity and follow a mosaic design, with different land fragments being successively used at different times. Habitat disturbance through trampling, either associated with grazing or various sporting activities (hiking, biking, horse riding), or through occasional small-area burning, also prove to be beneficial for many butterflies. In the case of woodland species, maintaining open habitats within forests (glades, clearings, wide road verges) and thinning forest stands is recommended. Among the unfavourable management activities identified, the most harmful are afforestation of open lands and drainage works. Therefore, such activities must be stopped at butterfly sites in order to ensure the effective conservation of species of conservation concern

Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki sp. nov. from Jordan, with a key to the Jordanian species of the nominotypical subgenus (Coleoptera: Meloidae)

Černý, Ladislav, Vrabec, Vladimír (2019): Mylabris (Mylabris) snizeki sp. nov. from Jordan, with a key to the Jordanian species of the nominotypical subgenus (Coleoptera: Meloidae). Zootaxa 4555 (1): 146-150, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4555.1.1

Effect of sex on the nutritional value of house cricket, Acheta domestica L.

Since January 2018, insects have been recognised as novel foods in the EU, but their nutritional value varies, and factors affecting their nutritional composition have been debated. We investigated the effect of sex on the nutritional value and chemical composition of the house cricket (Acheta domestica L.). Both sexes were rich in protein and lipids. The proximate composition was partly influenced by sex; females contained a significantly higher amount of lipids (18.3–21.7 vs 12.9–16.1 g/100 g dry matter, p = 0.0001) and fewer proteins than males (61.2–64.9 vs 66.3–69.6 g/100 g dry matter, p = 0.0001). Males contained more chitin (p = 0.0015) and nitrogen chains (p = 0.0003) than females. Only the ash (p = 0.4314) and nitrogen-free extract (p = 0.4871) were uninfluenced by sex. Furthermore, nutrient quality expressed as essential amino acid (72.3–77.1), thrombogenicity (1.22–1.45), and atherogenicity indices (0.53–0.58) did not differ between sexes (p > 0.05). © 2018 Elsevier Ltd20182009, CZU, Česká Zemědělská Univerzita v PrazeInternal Grant Agency of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czechia (CIGA) [20182009

Cyclic abundance fluctuations in a completely isolated population of Euphydryas maturna

A highly isolated and the last autochthonous Czech Republic population of the endangered Euphydryas maturna (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is monitored since 2001 by larval nests counts. The 20 years` time series displays remarkable abundance fluctuations with peak-to-peak period 11 years, peak numbers >150 and bust numbers <15 larval nests (arithmetic and harmonic means: 92.6 and 36.3). Establishment of more favourable management of the site probably heightened and prolonged the boom phase but did not alter the overall pattern. We attribute the cycling to pressures of natural enemies. Climatically unfavourable years appear deepening the bust phase. Species displaying such fluctuations cannot be conserved within a single site, which is being addressed by ex-situ breeding of the Czech stock and recent reestablishment of two additional populations, with the aim to achieve asynchronous dynamics of the local populations and eventually stabilise the regional metapopulation