Mountain butterfly species are often restricted in their distribution and under threat from habitat destruction and climate change. Due to the inaccessibility of their habitats the distributions of many such species are unknown. We have investigated whether information on the habitat requirements of the Alpine endemic species Erebia calcaria could be used for modelling its potential distribution. We surveyed part of its range using transects and recorded habitat and environmental parameters. The most important parameters determining the presence of the species were average height of the vegetation, maximum height of the vegetation, percentage area of bare ground, number of food plants and slope. Furthermore, the abundance of E. calcaria is strongly affected by site exposure and grazing intensity. Using these results we modelled the potential distribution of the species in its known historical range in Slovenia. In the region covered by the model 70% of the records of E. calcaria were within the predicted distribution. It is reasonable to propose that such a high detection rate justifies the use of distribution models for predicting a species range and providing important additional information for their conservation. In the case of E. calcaria, we have shown that endemic mountain butterflies can be strongly threatened by fragmentation of their habitat, overgrazing and succession, which could be further amplified by changes in climate.
One of the most compelling challenges for conservation biologists is the preservation of species with restricted ranges. Carabus olympiae Sella, 1855, a ground beetle species inhabiting two small areas in the western Italian Alps, is an example of a steno-endemic and endangered insect species. Despite the fact that this species is historically well known to professional and amateur entomologists, its autecology is virtually unknown. In the present study we used pitfall traps to study habitat selection and phenology, and radiotelemetry to measure differences in movement parameters between sexes, habitats and periods. Data from pitfall trapping suggested that C. olympiae actively selects both shrubberies (alpen rose Rhododendron ferrugineum and bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus) and beech forests and avoids pastures, and that population size peaks in July. All radio-tagged individuals (n = 21) moved without a preferred direction, and were more active at night than by day. Males covered greater distances and had more tortuous trajectories than females. Distances covered in forests and alpen rose shrubberies were not significantly different, but paths in beech forests were more convoluted than in shrubberies. The movement pattern observed fits the requirements of a typical "olfactory-tactile" insect predator that looks for prey by systematically exploring its territory. Movement parameters suggested that both beech forests and alpen rose shrubberies are suitable for this species and indicated that the spatial distribution of shrubs in shrubberies can constrain trajectories. The implications for conservation are: (i) any human intervention which results in enlargement of the present coverage of pastures should be controlled; (ii) forest management may be tolerated, with the condition that alpen rose shrubberies remain or develop after tree-cutting; (iii) once a shrubbery has established, it should be preserved through appropriate management.
The viviparous gyrodactylid genus Macrogyrodactylus Malmberg, 1957 is endemic to Africa, composed of nine species from hosts of four freshwater fish families, including catfishes (Siluriformes: Clariidae). Three species, Macrogyrodactylus clarii Gussev, 1961; M. congolensis (Prudhoe, 1957) and M. karibae Douëllou et Chishawa, 1995, are primarily known to parasitise the African sharptooth catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell) in various African countries. From November 2017 to September 2019, a total of 184 individuals of C. gariepinus were collected from selected localities in southern Africa and their skin, fins and gills were surveyed for monogeneans. Three species of Macrogyrodactylus (M. clarii, M. congolensis and M. karibae) were found parasitising C. gariepinus from five localities in South Africa and Zambia. Overall prevalence was 50% to 100% with intensities of up to 109 parasites per host individual. New locality records in southern Africa, morphological observations and additional molecular data on the complete Internal Transcriber Spacer (ITS-1-5.8S-ITS-2) regions of the rDNA gene for the three gyrodactylid species are presented in this study.
Na hustě osídleném ostrově Srí Lanka se zachovalo necelých 5 % primárních deštných lesů. Část z nich je chráněna v biosférické rezervaci Sinharaja na jihozápadě země. Vysoký stupeň endemismu je typický pro flóru i faunu rezervace. Různorodé rostlinné formace, které se plynule mění od nížin až po submontánní stupeň, představují refugium pro mnohé vzácné a ohrožené druhy živočichů - více než 50 % z nich je endemických. Protože o toto chráněné území projevuje zájem stále větší počet turistů, lze předpokládat, že nebude v budoucnu ohroženo exploatací a bude i nadále spravováno podle nejnovějších poznatků ekologů. I proto je pro návštěvníky zpřístupněna jen nepatrná část rezervace., Only 5 % of primary rainforests have been preserved on the densely populated island of Sri Lanka. Some rainforests are preserved within the biosphere reserve Sinharaja in the southwest of the country, with a high degree of flora and fauna endemism. Various plant formations, changing from lowlands up to the submontaneous level, provide a refuge for rare and endangered species of animals (more than 50 % endemic). Due to rising tourism, the area likely will not be much exploited and will be managed according to the latest ecological knowledge., and Jozef Májsky.
The genus Gobio in Italy was represented by the endemic species G. benacensis. The original distribution of this species was the Padano-Venetian district, but since a long time it was introduced in central Italy. Introductions of alien species to Italy during the last 10 years brought the sudden introduction of the Danubian G. gobio. Genetic and morphological analyses revealed the extensive presence of G. gobio, which rapidly colonised several rivers in Italy causing the progressive decline of G. benacensis, which now should be considered as an endangered species. Among examined populations those found in the Tagliamento River and transplanted in the Ombrone River represent genetic reservoirs of this species which will probably disappear in northern Italy.