The Butterflies of the Canary Islands a Survey on Their Distribution, Biology and Ecology (Lepidoptera :Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea)
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,I f 1. Li1ir7ear7n Belgica. Pars XV. no 2. juin 1995. The butterflies of the Canary Islands A survey on their distribution, biology and ecology (Lepidoptera :Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea) bl, Martin WILVERS(*) Résumé la vegetación y la historia de la evolución de las islas. Cette publication traite du statut et de l'origine des Partiendo de investigaciones proprias realizadas en casi 31 especes de Rhopaloctres et de la seule Hespéride todas las islas. informaciones de colegas y datos re- qui nous sont connus des iles Canaries ; le tout consi- cogidos en una amplia bibliografía sobre el tema, se déré dans un contexte d'un historique évolutif et de estudian el habitat, las fases previas y las plantas ali- végétation. Un tiers des especes sont endémiques. Des menticias de las orugas. Por primera vez se presenta investigations personnelles dans la plupart des iles, des un mapa detallado de la distribución de cada especie données communiquées par plusieurs collegues et, en las Islas Canarias. l'évaluation de la littérature, les habitat:, les stades préimaginaux, les plantes-h6tes sont autant d'aspects 1. General parí constituant la base de ce travail. Des ébauches de cartes de répartition détaillées sont présentées pour la pre- Location and general geographj- miere fois. The archipelago of the Canary Islands is situated Summary off the west coast of Africa between 27'37' N and 29'30' N and between 13" 17' W and 18" 10' \V. This paper discusses the status and origin of the The distance be!ween Fuerteventura and Cap 32 butterfly species, a third of which are endemics, Juby (Morocco) is only about 100 km. known from the Canary Islands in the context of the Politically, the Canary Islands belong to Spain evolutionary history and the vegetation of the islands. where they form two distinct provinces, the western On the basis of personal investigations on most of the province Santa Cruz de Tenerife with the islands islands, records by severa1 colleagues and an evaluation Tenerife (2050 km'), San Miguel de la Palma of the extensive literature, an account of habitats, early (730 km'), La Gomera (380 km'), El Hierro stages and larva1 food-plants is given and detailed distribution maps are presented for the first time. (280 km') and the eastern province Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Lvhich includes Gran Canaria Zusammenfassung (1 530 km'). Fuerteventura ( i 720 km2), Lanzqote (830 km') and the islets Lobos, Graciosa, Montaña V'on den Kanarischen lnseln sind 32 Tagfa!terarten. Clara, Alegranza, Roque del Infierno and Roque darunter ein Drittcl Endemiten, bekannt. deren Status del Este (45 km' altogether). und Herkunft in dieser Arbeit im Kontext mit der Geographically, Gran Canaria is often included Entstehungsgeschichte und der Vegetation drr Kanaren lvithin the Lvestern islands because of its similar diskutiert werden. Auf der Grundlage eigener Unter- moritainous topograph}., elevations reaching about suchungen auf fast allrn lnseln, Angaben mehrerer Kol- 1500 up to 37 I S ni (Teide on Tenerife, is the highest legen und einer AusLvertung drr unifangreichen Lite- Spanish mountain) on the western Canaries, where- ratur werden die Habitate. Praimaginalstadien und as the hills of the eastern islands of FuerteLentura Raupenfutterpflanzen aller Arteii behandelt. und ihre and Lanzarote rarely exceed m. \'erbreitung u.ird erstmals in detaillierten Rasterver- 500 breitungskarten vorgestellt. The islands are divided from each other by considerable depths of 1000-3000 ni ; only the Resumen (*) Perrnanent address : Kleikarnp 13, D-4S153 hlünster. Gerrnany. De las Islas Canarias se conocen 32 especies de mari- Present address : The Rainforest Habitat, Unitech. UDC posas diurnas, un tercio de ellas endémicas. En este Office, Private Mail Bag. Lae 414. Morobé Pro\ince. Papua trabajo se analiza su status y origen en el contexto de New Guinea. 63 strait betv,een Fuerteventura and Lanzarote does Ciiu iute not exceed 500 m. .. Due to their oceanic situation. the cliniate of the Canary lslands is miid Lvith relatit,ely little Palaeogeograp/ij, seasonal variation in ternperatiire. Al1 the Canary lslands are probably of volcanic The monthly means in temperature are betiveen origin, formed during the late Tertiary, some 18°C in January and 24°C in August. At high 20 million years aso. altitudes like at Izaña (2367 m), on Tenerife, they The eastern islands formed first. According to are betiveen 5°C and 18°C. Frost is rare below ScHviscKE (19821, the main phase dates back to 1000 m but occurs regulariy above 2000 rn in the foiiowing times : December and Januar!.. On hlt Teide, a snou coi‘er can last for more than a month (15 days on the average). lsland Age (hlio. pears) The amount of rainfali is different between and Lanzarote within the islands. Whereas the western islands Fuerteventura receive about 420 mni precipitation per year (La Gran Canaria 14 La Gomera 12 Palma 586 mm and Gran Canaria about 325 mm), Tenerife 5 the eastern islands oniy receive about 140 mm. El Hierro l 2 This is due to the position of the isiands with- La Palma I 2 in the trade-winds zone in which north-eastern winds predominate. At an elevation of about 800- 1500 m below the inversion layer (which is found Some sediments, especiaily on the eastern is- at 1270 m in August but at 1740 m in March, ac- lands, have been refered to much earlier periods, cording to CIXMLLOS& ORTUSO(1972)), a dense from early Tertiary or even late Cretaceous (MIT- stratum of strato-curnulus clouds is formed be- CHELL-THOMÉ1976), but these sediments might tween dry and warrn air aloft and cool wet air have emerged from the sea floor more recently, above the ocean. These clouds accumulate on the and stratigraphy does not prove an age of more north side of the niountains, whereas the southern than 20 Mio. years. lee-side rernains cioudless. Only Lanzarote and Lanzarote, Tenerife and La Palma are still Fuerteventura are not high enough to form bar- volcanically active. The last eruption was near riers for the clouds. Therefore the north sides of Fuencaliente on La Palma in 1971. the western islands receive much precipitation, The exact origin of the Canary Islands is still especially during the winter months, whereas the unsolved. The longheld view that they constitute south sides and the eastern islands are characte- the rest of an ancient macaronesian continent rized by drought interrupted only by short winter Atlantis together with Madeira, the Azores and rains. A more exact description of the climate is the Capverde Isiands is not supported by modern given by FERSASDOPULLE(1976) and a concise geoiogists, but opinions differ as to whether the description of the ground- and rnicro-cliniate by islands are of purely oceanic or partly of con- HOI.LERhl.4SS (1985). tinental origin. Fig. 1 shows typicai climate diagranis fer the Zoologists often prefer the socailed “iand- different cliniate zones on the islands : the semi- bridge theory” which gives an easier expianation desert cliniate of the eastern islands and some for the colonization of the islands by nonflying south coasts of the western ones (e.g. Tefia/ animals (e.g. EVERS1959) but geologicai evidence Fuerteventura. Punta Orchilia/ Hierro). the semi- is more in favour of an oceanic orizin. ROTHE arid suptropical climate of most west and east & ScHwucK<r (1968) considered the possibility of coasts (e.g. Sta.Cruz/Tenerife, Las Palmas de a continental origin of the eastern lslands, but Gran Canaria). the ivet siibtropicai cliniate of the SCHVIXCKF(1976) holds the opinion that there north coasts (e.g. Pto. de la Cruz;’Tenerife, Sta. is no proof. Instead, SCHLIIYCKF(1982) postulates Cruz de la Palma). the Mediterranean cliniate of a rou of ancient volcanic islets kkhich niight have the higher northern forest zone (e.g. Apamansa/ served as “stepping-stones” for the colonization of Tenerife. Buenavista La Palma) and the dry tem- the Canary lslands by animals. perate climate of the high altitudes (Izaña,’Tene- The most recent, although not up-to-date, com- rife). The climate diagrams can be found in LIETH prehensive account of the geology of the Canary 8: WALTER(1967) and WALTEKer al. (1975). These lslands is MITCHELL-THOMÉ(1976). diagrams do not consider the fog precipitation 64 \.. FIG.1. - Canary Islands : climate, vegetation, pluviornetry. 65 u.hich p1aJ.s an iniportant role in the forest zone, of flolbers made up of annuals like Jlí/ir/iiola especiall!. during the period of sumnier drought. par viflora, Ecli ii 111 i lat icero t fetise, híe; emhrpt i- themirni spp., Clit:i.satithetiirrnr coromrirtt?r, Rei- Flora aiid \yegetarioti chardia tirigiratia and perennials like AsphoclelrrJ The Canary Islands are famous for their high tenrrifoliirs, Lotirs Iancerotrensis or Kicki-ia sagit- endemism: almost half of the 1270 indigenous tata. Specialist haloph!.tic plant communities of plants are endemic and often onlp occiir on single salt-tolerant plants like Tanrarix or sedges. can be islands. Additionally about 650 alien plant species found at some coasts if they \vere not destroyed during the development of tourist facilities (like have been introduced. the palm oasis of Maspalomas). But for an understanding of the butterflies’ At the iipper limit of the xeric basa1 region, ecolog5- the tj‘pes of \,egetation are of special the juniper (Jruiiperrts phoenicea) groMs on Go- importance. These are as diverse as the climate mera (“Sabinar”). The numbers of Jzrniperus within the islands, reaching from semi-deserts to phoenicea and J. cedrus (at higher altitudes) on jungle-like laurel forests. Most butterfly species of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Hierro have been the Canaries are not only restricted to some islands reduced to small areas, so that the “Sabinar” is but also to special units of vegetation or they difficult to recognize as a separate vegetational mainly occur there and for that reason the most unit.