See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308163574 Adult behaviour and early stages of Lycaena ochimus (Herrich-Schäffer [1851]) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Article · January 1996 CITATIONS READS 7 154 2 authors: Klaus G. Schurian Konrad Fiedler University of Vienna 12 PUBLICATIONS 124 CITATIONS 303 PUBLICATIONS 8,677 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Herbivore communities in the Andean mountain forest zone – comparisons within selected plant species along contrasting environmental dimensions View project Biodiversity and ecology of tropical mountain rainforests View project All content following this page was uploaded by Konrad Fiedler on 16 September 2016. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. • Nachr. entomol. Ver. Apollo, N.F. 16 (4): 329-343 (1996) 329 Adult behaviour and early stages of Lycaena ochimus (HERRICH-SCHAFFER [1851]) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Klaus G. SCHURIAN und Konrad FIEDLER Dr. Klaus G. SCHURIA N, Am Mannstein 13, D-65779 Ke lkheim-Fischbach, Germany Dr. Konrad FI EDLER, Lehrstuhl fUr Verhaltensphysiologie und Soziobiologie, Theodor-Boveri­ Biozentrum, Unive rsitat Wurzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074 Wurzburg, Germany Abstract: Field observations on behaviour and a subsequent rearing are de­ scribed for the Anatolian copper butterfly Lycaena ochimus. Males are prot­ androus, territorial and use perching as mate-locating strategy. Females often refuse co urting males, matings occur in the late morning until noon. Egg-lay­ ing was observed between 10.30 and 15.00 h during hot, sunny weather. Fe­ males lay their eggs singly on the inflorescences of Acantholimon species (Plumbaginaceae). In captivity, one larva accepted Polygonum lapathifolium (Polygonaceae) as substitute food and was reared until adult eclosion. The early stages are described for the first time and compared with the morpho­ logically similar L. thetis, which also uses Acantholimon hostplants. Neither adult behaviour nor morphology of the early stages indicate that L. ochimus, together with the taxa traditionally placed in a "subgenus Thersamonia" , would constitute a phylogenetically justifiable monophyletic unit. Phylogene­ tic implications of hostplant shifts from Polygonaceae to Plumbaginaceae are discussed. lmaginalverhalten und Biologie der Praimaginalstadien von Lycaena ochimus (HERRICH-SCHAFFER [1851]) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Zusammenfassung: Beobachtungen zum Imaginalverhalten von Lycaena ochimus vom August 1994 aus der Umgebung des zentralti.irkischen Ortes Saimbeyli (1400-1600 m i.i. NN) werden berichtet. Mannliche Falter hielten am spaten Vormittag in einer weitgehend ausgetrockneten Erosionsrinne Partien von etwa 10 Meter Lange als Reviere besetzt. Weibchen wurden dort nur vereinzelt gesehen, 4 Paare wurden in Kopula beobachtet. Offenbar be­ reits begattete Weibchen flogen vor allem auf einem si.idexponierten, an mehreren Stellen dicht mit Acantholimon-Polstern (Plumbaginaceae) bestan­ den en Hang. Wahrend der heiBen Mittagsstunden wurde viermal die Eiabla­ ge an den Bli.itenstanden einer Acantholimon-Art beobachtet, 2 weitere Eiab­ lagen erfolgten in Gefangenschaft. Aus insgesamt vier erhaltenen Eiern (Durchmesser 0,8 mm) schli.ipften Larven, denen in Deutschland als Ersatz­ futterpflanze Polygonum lapathifolium L. (Ampferknoterich, Polygonaceae) angeboten wurde. Nur eine-Raupe entwickelte sich auf diesem Ersatzfutter vollstandig und ergab im Oktober desselben Jahres ein Mannchen. Die im letzten Stadium weitgehend zeichnungslosen gri.inen Larven haben weder ein Nektarorgan noch aussti.ilpbare Tentakelorgane und sind denen von Lycaena • 330 thetis (KL UG 1834) sehr ahnlich. Die gedrungene Puppe ist dunkelbraun und besitzt zahlreiche Trompetenhaare, aber nur wenige dendritische Haare. Po­ r e nkupp e l o r ga l~e sind bei der Altraupe verstreut uber das ganze Integument, auf der Puppe vo r all em im Umkreis der Stigmen anzutreffe n. Bei Storung produzierte die Puppe zwei verschi edene Schall ko mponenten. Weder Imagi­ nalverhalten noch Praimaginalmorphologie ergeben Hinweise auf di e Mono­ phyli e der tradi tionell als "Untergattung Thersamonia" zusammengefaBten Arten. Die phylogenetischen Implikationen eines Raupenfutterpflanzenwech­ sels vo n Polygo naceen zu Plumbaginaceen werden di sku tiert. Introduction In 1851, HERRICH-SCHAFFER described Lycaena ochimus' (original combina­ tion: Polyommatus ochimus HERRI CH-SCHAFF ER [1 851]) and listed this new taxon between L. thersamon and L. alciphron gordius, thus indicating the inclusion of ochimus to the copper butterflies (tribe Lycaenini). Type locality of ochimus is "Asia minor", the type series is apparently lost (HES ­ SELBA RTH et a1. 1995 ). It is probable that HERRI CH-SCHAFFE R received his type material via KAO EN from Amasya (northern central Turkey), a locality which th e collector Albert KI NOERMANN repeatedly visited in the middle of the nineteenth century (LEDE RER 1860) . L. ochimus occurs in Asia minor, extending from Anatolia southwards to the Lebanon and Syria (Mt. Hermon), and eastwards through Azerbaijan to northern Iran (Elburs mountains) and the Caucasus region (LARSEN 1974, NEKRUTE NKO 1977, SCHURI AN 8( HOFMANN 1982, BENYAMI NI 1990, HESSELBARTH et a1. 1995). This butterfly is bivoltine at lower elevations (1 " gen .: May-June, 2nd gen.: late July- September), but univoltine at higher altitudes (i. e., above 1700 m a. s.1.) . The vertical distribution of L. ochimus ranges from 500 to 2800 m , but the majority of localities lies between 1000 and 2000 m (HESSE LBARTH et a1. 1995 ). Besides scant notes on nectaring on flowers, almost nothing appears to be known on the biology and beh aviour of L. ochimus except that the male butterflies aggressively defend "territories" around perch es (SCHURI AN 8( HOFMAN N 1982, HESSELBARTH et a1. 1995). Therefore, the senior author spent considerable effort to elucidate the life-cycle of this Anatolian cop- 'SCHURIAN & H OFMANN (1982) and H ESSE LBA RT H et al. (1995) di sc.ussed the nomenclatural aspeC1s of the names ochimus, phaeton FREYER [1850] and kefersteinii GERHARD [185 1]. To mainJain nomen­ datural stability, preference of the widely used name ochimus over the sli ghtly older, but forgollen name phaeton is again strongly recomm ended. • 331 per butterfly since the late seventies. However, this intention was not suc­ cessfully realized until 1994, when an unusually early onset of the flight period of the second generation allowed us to observe L. ochimus in early August in numbers. During the past few years it has been shown that the predominantly Ana­ tolian species Lycaena thetis (ToLMAN 1993, FIEDLER & SCHURIAN 1994) and the central Asian L. solskyi (LUKHTANOV & LUKHTANOV 1994) use spiny cushion plants of the genus Acantholimon (Plumbaginaceae) as larval hostplants. Therefore, we were particularly interested in the hostplant relationships of L. ochimus. Does this species also feed on Acantholimon, or does it show the Polygonaceae affiliation which is typical for most Ly­ caenini species? Observations on adult behaviour In 1994 the flight period of the second generation of L. ochimus started around 20. VII. near Saimbeyli (Prov. Adana, 1500 m a. s.1.), compared to the appearance of the first males in early August in 1988 or 1993. Whell we visited Saimbeyli again on 7./8. VIII. 1994, wing wear of male L. ochi­ mus butterflies indicated that the flight period of the second generation had already advanced. As other Lycaena species and many other temper­ ate-zone butterflies, L. ochimus is protandrous (males emerge earlier than females: e.g. WIKLUND et a1. 1992), but females were also already present in numbers. Therefore, we expected to meet mated females ready for ovi­ position in the habitat. More than 30 males were seen along a dry eroded gutter, where they sat perching on flowers. The males often chased other butterflies (and even other non-lepidopterous insects) passing by, but usually returned to their perches within a few seconds. When a male encountered a female nectar­ ing on a flower, he courted her with vibrating or flicking wings, but in all cases that we observed the female rejected him with rapid wing move­ ments or flew off. We found 4 mating pairs sitting in copula in the vegetation, all in the late morning (around 10.00-11.30 local time). When disturbed, the male car­ rying the female flew away over-a distance of some 5-10 m. Then the pair settled down again in the vegetation. On one occasion (11.30 on 8. VIII.) a second male tried to penetrate into a pair in copula, but without success. • 332 • 333 Figs. 1-2: Lycaena ochimus, male, dorsal and ve ntral view . Locality data: Turkei/Adana, vie. Saimbeyli, 1500-1600 m, 12. x.1994 (e.o.), wing span: 26.5 mm.' Figs . 3-4: L. ochimus, fe­ male, dorsal and ventra l view. Locality data see above, w ing span: 27. 0 mm. Fig. 5-6: L, of L. ochimus, dorsal and lateral view, length ca . 7 mm. Fig. 7: L, of L. ochimus, dorsolateral view, length ca. 12 mm. (P hotographs 1-7: K. G. SCHUR IAN). Fig . 8: Acantholimon cushion in full flower, the hostplant of L. ochimus. A~kale (Prov. Erzin­ ~an), 3. VIII. 1994. Fig. 9: Egg of L. ochimus on Acantholimon flower sp ike. Saimbeyli, 8. VIII. 1994. (Photographs 8-9: K. FIEDLER.) Fig. 10: L. ochimus, pupa, length: 10 mm (Photograph: K. G. SCHURIAN). • 334 During the hottest hours around noon, females were often seen to fly across the vegetation, apparently in search for hostplants, whereas males mostly engaged in nectaring on flowers at that time of the day. Females preferred south-facing slopes with open and partly sparse vegetation. Be­ sides single conifer trees (e.g. juniperus excelsa BlEB.) and various thorny shrubs, the ground was mostly covered by spiny cushion plants like A stra­ cantha PODLECH (Fabaceae) and Acantholimon BOISS. (Plumbaginaceae) species (Fig. 8; see KURSCHNER et al. 1995 for details on the vegetation of the Toros Daglari). Females often stayed near Acantholimon cushions. We also observed them nectaring on the pink Acantholimon flowers. Around 13.00 local time (7 .