Conserving ’s most endangered : the Macedonian Grayling (Pseudochazara cingovskii)

Rudi Verovnik, Branko Micevski, Dirk Maes, Irma Wynhoff, Chris Van Swaay & Martin Warren

Journal of Conservation An international journal devoted to the conservation of and related invertebrates

ISSN 1366-638X Volume 17 Number 5

J Insect Conserv (2013) 17:941-947 DOI 10.1007/s10841-013-9576-6

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J Insect Conserv (2013) 17:941–947 DOI 10.1007/s10841-013-9576-6

ORIGINAL PAPER

Conserving Europe’s most endangered butterfly: the Macedonian Grayling (Pseudochazara cingovskii)

Rudi Verovnik • Branko Micevski • Dirk Maes • Irma Wynhoff • Chris Van Swaay • Martin Warren

Received: 5 April 2013 / Accepted: 3 June 2013 / Published online: 12 June 2013 Ó Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Abstract The Macedonian Grayling is listed as critically sedentary, not moving far even within the continuous endangered in the recent IUCN Red List of European habitat on the same slope. Oviposition was observed on dry butterflies because of its extreme rarity and habitat loss due plant material and in a rock crevice close to the potential to quarrying. This categorisation was, however, based on larval host plant sp. Quarrying is confirmed to be rather limited knowledge on its actual distribution, popu- the main threat to the habitat of the Macedonian Grayling lation size and habitat requirements. In 2012, we conducted with five out of seven populated sites containing active field surveys to acquire more information. We found the marble quarries. Due to the enlargement of the known area at six new sites extending its known range of of occupancy, its threat status would now be estimated at suitable habitat to just under 10 km2. The daily population endangered. Despite the restricted knowledge about its size was estimated using capture-mark-recapture method in distribution and trends in the population size, the IUCN the most densely populated part of the Pletvar pass site at criteria proved to be applicable to determine the threat more than 650 individuals. Adults proved to be extremely status of a rare and localized butterfly such as Pseudoc- hazara cingovskii. Its original assessment of being called the most threatened butterfly in Europe resulted in imme- diate research project and subsequent actions that will R. Verovnik (&) undoubtedly help to conserve it in the future. Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Biology, University of Ljubljana, Vecˇna pot 111, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia e-mail: [email protected] Keywords Á Conservation Á Endemism Á Red List Á IUCN R. Verovnik Á D. Maes Á I. Wynhoff Á C. Van Swaay Á M. Warren Butterfly Conservation Europe (BCE), P.O. Box 506, 6700 AM Wageningen, The Netherlands Introduction

B. Micevski Butterflies are known as useful indicators for biodiversity Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institu