The Slovenian False Ringlet
Coenonympha oedippus
populations are under serious threat, as in the last two decades have witnessed a sharp decline in population distribution and size due to ...destruction, fragmentation and/or habitat quality degradation through intensive agriculture, abandonment of use and urbanization. We investigated the genetic diversity and structure of
C. oedippus
from the entire range of the species in Slovenia. Our results showed that the genetic variation in the Slovenian
C. oedippus
populations agrees with the geographical structure and the ecotypes previously determined by morphological and ecological data. We confirmed the existence of four genetically divergent and spatially non-overlapping geographical groups (Istria, Karst, Gorica, Ljubljansko barje) and two ecotypes ("wet" and "dry"). Despite small sample sizes due to critically threatened species, the results indicated significant nuclear and mitochondrial genetic diversity within the spatial groups. By gaining new insights into the evolutionary history of the
C. oedippus
population, we have recommended to consider the Slovenian population as one Evolutionary Significant Unit, and four spatial populations as Management Units for conservation purposes.
Salinity is a limiting factor for many invertebrates, especially for Odonata which are typically associated with freshwater ecosystems. In Europe, 15 Odonata species inhabit brackish wetlands and ...only few detailed data on their tolerance towards salinity are available. We investigated Odonata fauna in 11 sampling stations situated in three estuarine areas (northern Adriatic coastline) which differed in salinity conditions (freshwater-polyhaline habitats) in order to assess affinity of Odonata species to brackish habitats and to describe their distribution pattern in coastal wetlands. Adults, exuviae (the remains of the exoskeleton after the last larval instar), and the main chemical and physical water parameters were sampled every 2 weeks for 1 year in each station. In total, 25 species were detected and 56% of them were able to complete their life cycle in brackish water environments. Our results showed that freshwater and oligohaline ponds were the most favorable for dragonflies, with an overall higher species richness. There was a high species turnover along the salinity gradient, with a strong differentiation among the communities along the gradient. Considering the exuviae, we observed a high specificity with respect to the habitat conditions (seven species exclusive of freshwater sites and six of oligohaline ones, respectively). Among the adults, four species were found exclusively in freshwater habitats and no species seemed to be strictly connected with oligohaline habitats. Coastal wetlands are composed by a mosaic of different habitats especially when freshwater and seawater are close together, supporting many Odonata species with different tolerance toward salinity conditions. They also provide useful insights for conservation and management actions.
We studied the demography, movement, behaviour and choice of nectar plants by adults of Aporia crataegi. This study was done in a dense network of different types of habitats (total size of study ...area 16.26 ha) from open landscape to shrubland, the latter being a result of abandonment of traditional agricultural practices such as extensive mowing and grazing. Total population size was estimated to be approximately 1700 and 2700 for females and males, respectively. Median and maximum distances moved by males were 134 and 3493 m, and by females 138 and 3165 m, respectively. The average lifespan was ca. 7.1 and 7.5 days, with maximum recorded lifespans of 21 and 17 days for males and females, respectively. The greater capture probability recorded for males indicates their high activity, as they spend most of their time in fl ight patrolling and searching for mates. A parabolic recruitment curve and protandry were also recorded. Both sexes are highly mobile. The spatial distribution of both sexes was roughly similar. The adult behaviour differed in different habitats, with more time spent feeding and resting when nectar plants were plentiful and more time spent fl ying when they were rare. Although adults utilized nine nectar sources, only two were recorded in over 80% of all the feeding occasions. In order to re-establish open grassland with some shrubland, traditional and mosaic management of the landscape should be revived at least to some extent.
To reduce the population of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) (Diptera: Culicidae), a mosquito control campaign was organized by five Slovenian municipalities in 2020. The ...campaign focused on the application of Aquatain AMFTM in public water containers. The main objective of our study was to test the efficacy of the agent by directly testing the water drains for mosquito larvae and monitoring the density of the mosquito population. The drains were inspected before and after the application of the product from May to September. A water sample was taken from the drains using a dipper. For mosquito monitoring, the number of mosquito eggs and adult mosquitoes was counted from June to October.
Up to two weeks after the application of the product, we observed the lethal effect of Aquatain on mosquito larvae, pupae and adult mosquitoes. After rainfall, the product was washed away and the live mosquitoes were sampled in the inspected water drains. The average number of eggs collected per site was twice as high in the area without mosquito control as in the threated locations. Nevertheless, we assessed the mosquito control campaign as partially successful, as mosquito abundance was still high in the locations with mosquito control. However, we believe that this is a good starting point and that mosquito control should be continued in the future together with the citizen education campaign.
At the southern limit of its range the endangered butterfly Coenonympha oedippus inhabits grasslands (wet, dry) that differ significantly in the abundance of its larval hostplants (wet > dry) and ...mean annual air temperature (wet < dry). We determined the difference in the wing morphology of individuals in the two contrasting habitats to test whether and how traits associated with wing size, shape and eye like spots vary in the sexes and two ecotypes. We show that sexual dimorphism follows the same (wing size and shape, number of eyespots on forewing) or different (relative area of eyespots on hindwings) patterns in the two contrasting habitats. Irrespective of ecotype, females had larger, longer and narrower wings, and more forewing eyespots than males. Sexual dimorphism in the relative area of eyespots on hindwing was female-biased in the wet, but male-biased in the dry ecotype. Ecotype dimorphism in wing size and the relative area of eyespots on the hindwing is best explained by mean annual air temperature and abundance of host-plants. While ecotype dimorphism in wing size did not differ between sexes, neither in direction (wet > dry) or in degree, in the two sexes the relative area of eyespots on hindwing had opposite patterns (males: dry > wet; females: wet > dry) and was more pronounced in males than in females. The differences in wing shape between ecotypes were detected only in the hindwings of males, with more rounded apex in the dry than in the wet ecotype. We discuss the life-history traits, behavioural strategies and selection mechanisms, which largely account for the sex- and ecotype-specific variation in wing morphology.
We studied a population of the regionally endangered marsh fritillary butterfl y Euphydryas aurinia inhabiting a system of loosely connected dry calcareous grasslands in sub-Mediterranean Slovenia. ...Our goal was to set the basis for a long-term monitoring of this butterfl y in four meadows using mark-release-recapture (MRR). We determined its demographic parameters, dispersal, behaviour and utilization of nectar plants in different quality patches. Total population size was estimated to be approximately 347 males (95% confl dence interval: 262-432) and 326 females (95% confl dence interval: 250-402), with an unbiased sex ratio. The average lifespans were 6.3 and 8.6 days, respectively. Daily population sizes followed a parabola with marked protandry. Both sexes were relatively highly mobile with both occasionally moving over half a kilometre. The spatial distribution of animals seemed to be associated with patch size, host plant densities and nectar sources, resulting in much higher population densities in the largest patch. Adult behaviour differed between the sexes, with females resting more and flying less than males. Behaviour also changed during daytime and with the progression of the season. Adults were confl rmed to be opportunistic feeders, since as many as ten nectar sources were detected. We conclude that demographic parameters differ greatly among regions and habitats, thus conservation aims should be planned accordingly. Although the population studied is apparently in good condition, there are threats that may hamper the long-term persistence of the species in this area: succession, intensifl cation of mowing and overgrazing.
With only 43 described stygobionts and only two isopod species the obligate groundwater fauna of Iran, a vast country with over 10% of limestone surface, is inadequately known. Here, we report the ...discovery of
Asellus ismailsezarii
sp. nov. from Zagros mountains, the first eyeless and depigmented asellid isopod from Iran. The new species is morphologically similar to
Asellus monticola
Birstein, 1932, but it is eyeless and fully depigmented, has a slightly curved pereopod IV and does not bear any setae on proximal margins of exopodite of pleopods IV and V. Species phylogenetic relationships using original and datamined mitochondrial DNA and nuclear rDNA, and estimation of molecular divergences with other
Asellus
species, suggest that
A. ismailsezarii
sp. nov. is sister to a larger clade that also contains the European
A. aquaticus
species complex. Surface populations of
Asellus
have colonized groundwater at multiple occasions and localities, both in Europe and Asia, giving rise to species and subspecies that have evolved troglomorphisms, such as depigmentation and loss of eyes. Of the 37 formally described species and subspecies of
Asellus
, 15 are from groundwater, including
A. ismailsezarii
sp. nov. We predict that many more obligate groundwater
Asellus
taxa are yet to be discovered in Asia.
We studied seasonal abundance, vertical distribution and life history traits of the Mediterranean mud shrimp (Upogebia pusilla) in the mediolittoral zone in Slovenia. At two localities (Strunjan and ...Lazaret), quantitative samples from three plots (1 m2 each) at (0 cm), below (-50 cm) and above (+50 cm) mean water level were taken once every two months, in alternation. A set of parameters was also recorded, including vegetation cover, sediment type, air and sea temperature, pH, salinity and oxygen levels. Highest abundance was recorded during the warm period of the year, with peak abundance in June 2012 (21 % of total sample). Lowest plots were always occupied with the highest densities of mud shrimps. Males dominated during the winter while ovigerous females reached the peak in June (>40 % of all animals). In June at least 2/3 of females were ovigerous. Estimated mean incubation period was 31 days. We determined four periods in relation to the species’ reproductive activity. Early reproductive period (April) was characterised by emergence of first ovigerous females, while main reproductive period (May–July) was characterised by peak of reproduction. In post-reproductive (August–October), and non-reproductive (November–March) periods, no ovigerous females or newly hatched offspring were recorded.
Istraživali smo sezonsku zastupljenost, vertikalnu raspodjelu i povijesne životne osobitosti Mediteranskog karlića (Upogebia pusilla) u Sloveniji. Na dva lokaliteta (Strunjan i Lazaret) izmjenično su uzeti jednom u dva mjeseca kvantitativni uzorci sa tri parcele (svaki 1 m2 ) na (0 cm), ispod (-50 cm) i iznad (+50 cm) srednje razine vode. Također je zabilježen skup parametara, uključujući vegetacijsku pokrivenost, vrstu sedimenta, temperaturu zraka i mora, pH, salinitet i razinukisika. Najveća zastupljenost zabilježena je tijekom toplog razdoblja godine i to u lipnju 2012 godine (21% ukupnog uzorka). Najviša gustoća karlića bila je zabilježena na najnižim parcelama. Mužjaci su prevladavali tijekom zime dok je najveći broj ovigerih ženki zabilježen u lipnju (>40% svih životinja, ili 2/3 svih ženki u lipnju). Procjenjeni srednji inkubacijski period bio je 31 dan. Utvrdili smo četiri razdoblja u vezi sa reproduktivnom aktivnosti ove vrste. Rano razdoblje reprodukcije bilo je obilježeno pojavom prvih ovigerih ženki u travnju, dok je za vrhunac reprodukcije obilježenreproduktivni period travanj-srpanj. U post-reproduktivnom (kolovoz-listopad) i ne-reproduktivnom periodu (studeni-ožujak) nisu bile zabilježene ovigere ženke ili juvenilne životinje.
Maintenance of traditional cultural landscapes largely depends on traditional agricultural practices, which are nowadays in decline as a result of increasingly intensive and mechanised land use. ...Losing traditional practices may result in impoverishing of picturesque mosaic landscape and biodiversity. This research focuses on land-use changes in two time periods (2002–2008; 2013–2016) and effects of changes reflecting on populations of critically endangered butterfly. False Ringlet,
(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), is a habitat specialist, which in Slovenia inhabits two geographically distinct contrasting habitats – dry meadows in south-western and wetlands in central Slovenia. We compared nine environmental parameters to assess environmental differences, which shape species habitat; seven parameters significantly differ among the four geographical regions and five among the two habitat types. Four parameters significantly differ (i.e. at least in two regions) when tested for homogeneity, while in dry habitat type all (except slope) were significant and none in wet habitat. Changes in land use in two studied periods lit up two processes: transformation of meadows into agricultural land and overgrowing of the meadows, both processes affecting species severely. We believe that maintaining of traditional landscapes in future could serve as a good conservation practice for this endangered species.
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