cynthiaBulletin of the Catalan Butterfly Monitoring Scheme 2014 - no. 13 Cover one of the few that is expanding its range. In generalist species such as Small Pieris rapae and Detail of the under side of the hind-wing of Pain- recent years, it has become established in the Large Pieris brassicae Whites, Clouded Yellow ted Lady, Vanessa cardui (photo: O. Massana) city of Barcelona and numerous observations Colias crocea, Mallow Skipper Carcharodus al- are now being made there. ceae, Common Blue Polyommatus icarus, Wall Mediterranean Skipper, Gegenes nostrodamus, Finally, the identification datasheets include Brown Lasiommata megera, Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina Pa- nectaring on Agnus castus, Vitex agnus-castus the final part of the ‘Dappled’ white group (ge- , Common Swallowtail nera Euchloe and Pontia) and the second part pilio machaon, Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas (photo: O. Massana) of the difficultMelitaea sp. group of fritillaries. and Long-tailed Lampides boeticus and Lang’s Short-tailed Leptotes pirithous Blues. Gera- nium Bronze Cacyreus marshalli also appears, Editorial undoubtedly due to the proximity of the city Are there more species of Butterfly The CBMS network of Granollers where this butterfly feeds on in Europe than we think? Current situation (2014) of the cultivated geranium plants. The presence of Butterfly Monitoring Scheme in stands of natural vegetation also provides ha- his new edition of Cynthia – happily back to Catalonia, Andorra and the Balearic bitat for species such as both Southern Pyronia cecilia and Spanish Pyronia bathseba Gatekee- Tappearing annually – provides a summary Islands of the highlights of the CBMS and BMSAnd pers, Iberian Marbled White Melanargia lache- monitoring programmes for the year 2014. sis and Green Hairstreak Callophrys rubi. One During the 21st season of the CBMS of the most interesting species recorded on this Unfortunately, 2014 was yet another poor sea- and BMSAnd networks 73 stations were son, something that we are now getting used itinerary is the Mediterranean Skipper Gegenes active, the highest number to date. Two nostrodamus, a migratory species that is rare in to and a reality that denotes an evident fall in new stations were incorporated and population numbers in many butterfly species Catalonia but which quite often in summer is four others were re-activated. The three detected in the Vallès plain. The counts are ca- in Catalonia. The weekly monitoring data are stations on the island of Menorca and six helping to define increasingly well just what is rried out voluntarily by A. Pascual. in Andorra continued to provide data. In Betren behind these decreases in butterfly numbers — (CBMS-133, Val d’Aran, 991 m). all, 119.384 butterflies belonging to 166 This is the first CBMS to operate in the Val even though it is still very difficult to quantify species were counted. the exact impact of each individual factor. In d’Aran. It is short (853 m in length with just seven sections) and runs around the village of this edition of Cynthia we present a complete uring the 2014 season counts were carried joint analysis of the Catalan butterfly and bird Betren, very near the town of Vielha. Despite Dout at 73 stations (Fig. 1), six more than a certain degree of ruderalization due to the monitoring programmes that suggests that the in 2013, which raised the number of active sta- loss of open spaces is one of the key factors proximity of the built-up area, the moist cool tions in a single season to over 70 for the first climate guarantees the survival of patches of behind the decline in biodiversity in Catalo- ever time. This increase is as much due to the nia. Nonetheless, it is clear that other factors subalpine pastures and riparian woodland of reactivation and restructuring of old stations great entomological interest. In total, 59 spe- are at work and, for instance, the recent severe where the butterfly walks had been abandoned droughts may be having an accumulative effect cies were counted during the first counting (cases of Rabós, Sebes, Banyoles) as to the in- season but more are bound to appear if the that is preventing a recovery back to the popu- corporation of two new stations (L’Escanyat, lation levels that existed when the CBMS got counts continue in future years. Some of the Betren). most interesting butterflies include montane underway at the beginning of the 1990s. The available annual data series are shown We also take a look at a review of the ta- species such as Small Tortoiseshell Aglais ur- in Figure 2. Of the 129 stations that have pro- ticae, Apollo Parnassius apollo, Scarce Lycaena xonomic situation of Iberian butterflies that vided data at one time or another, 44 (over indicates that in the future there could be a virgaurea and Sooty Lycaena tityrus Coppers, a third) have provided data for ten or more and Lesser Marbled Fritillary Brenthis ino, number of surprises in the status of certain years, and 15 have been active for 15 or more species. The use of molecular techniques is amongst others. It is worth highlighting the years. These data reflect the potential of the presence of the Large Blue Maculinea arion, a revealing the existence of far greater genetic di- CBMS database as a tool for analysing in the versity than that suggested by traditional mor- threatened species that appears in most catalo- mid-to-long-terms the tendencies operating in gues of protected species. As well, this station phological techniques. The DNA barcoding the biodiversity of our country. technique, for example, suggests that some has enabled us to add Marbled White Mela- European butterfly species are in fact com- nargia galathea to the list of CBMS species plexes of a number of cryptic species. In some New stations (this species is only found in the Val d’Aran in cases, this was already suspected (e.g. Heath L’Escanyat (CBMS-129, Vallès Oriental, 182 Catalonia) and new populations of two species Fritillary Melitaea athalia and False Grayling m). This circular itinerary stretches for 1,506 that are rare on the CBMS itineraries, the Map Arethusana arethusa) but in others it is much m around the outskirts of the city of Grano- Butterfly Araschnia levana and the Ringlet more unexpected (e.g. Spotted Fritillary Me- llers. Although it runs through the domain of Aphantopus hyperantus. The counts are carried litaea didyma and Essex Skipper Thymelicus holm oak forests, intensive agricultural envi- out voluntarily by Montse Bacardit. lineola). Consult the original article for more ronments are in fact the most representative information on particular species. habitat. Its seven sections pass through a num- Habitats represented The section The Butterfly is devoted to the ber of fields, along field edges and through re- The main environments and plant communi- Lesser Purple Emperor Apatura ilia, one of the lict patches of woodland. The butterfly fauna is ties represented in the 2014 counts are detai- most spectacular butterflies in Catalonia and thus fairly poor and is dominated by common led in Table 1. The percentages corresponding II Cynthia Cynthia III to the different environments have remained Mediterranean habitat in the new station of August, which were the year’s most abundant marked interannual fluctuations or to a lack studies, both at general and local scales, by the vegetation present in a 5-m-wide buffer practically unchanged compared to previous L’Escanyat. Stone Pine Pinus pinea, Agave Agave for many parts of the Pyrenees (Fig. 1b). of sufficient monitored populations. However, suggest that this phenomenon can be zone along the transect; for birds, the itinera- years: lowland itineraries (holm-oak wood- americana and Giant Cane Arundo donax are present on the fact that only 15% of the species whose extrapolated to the Mediterranean region ries are classified according to the Catalan Ha- the hedges of some sections (photo: A. Arrizabalaga). land, scrub and garrigue) account for 71% of Changes in abundances: general populations show clear tendencies have in- as a whole. bitat Map 1999–2000 (www.ub.edu/geoveg/ the itineraries, mid-altitude upland itineraries considerations creased in number whilst 42% have fallen, is en/mapes.php) with a 100-m-wide buffer (various types of deciduous and pine wood- of great concern. Only 33% of species can be along the whole census route. The CORINE The 2014 season was in general a poor one for ecent changes in the landscape pose one of land) for 21% and, lastly, high-altitude Pyre- regarded as having stable populations. A new habitat cover categories were simplified and Catalan butterflies and was the second worst the greatest current threats to biodiversity. nean stations (subalpine stage) for 8%. This methodology to analyse population trends not R classified either as ‘open habitat’ or ‘closed ha- The CBMS – 21 years of the 21 seasons with comparable data (Fig. In many areas of our planet, the destruction of proportion mirrors closely the proportion of only confirms this general negative trend in bitat’ but were adapted to the ecological requi- Summary of the 2014 season 2), the worst ever being 2012. Of the 66 com- forests and their conversion into agricultural land covered by these three environments in butterfly numbers but also magnify it (Melero, rements of both taxa. After a number of trials monest CBMS species, two had their worst- and built-up land is the main cause of species Catalonia as a whole (Fig. 1). Stefanescu & Pino, in prep.). Thus, it is clear 1 aimed at assigning a similar number of species The 2014 season was once again a year ever years in 2014 (Southern White Admiral extinctions. Nevertheless, over large areas of that the patterns revealed by the CBMS data to each of the two categories, the following of very low butterfly counts at the vast Limenitis reducta and Western Marbled White Europe it is precisely the opposite process – Species present are both accurate and highly worrying.