Standardised inventories of lepidopterans and odonates from Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal) - setting the scene for mountain biodiversity monitoring

By

Boieiro, Mário
Antunes, Sandra
Figueiredo, Hugo
Soares, Albano
Lopes, Ana
Monteiro, Eva
Garcia-Pereira, Patrícia
Rego, Carla
Conde, José
Borges, Paulo
Serrano, Artur

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-03-15

Original Publication

Biodiversity data journal

Volume

11

Pages

1--22

Subjects

Butterflies , Damselflies , Dragonflies , elevation gradient , Habitats Directive , Lepidoptera , mountain lakes , Odonata , Protected areas

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers [2013]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e99558
eLocator: e99558

 

Abstract

Mountain insect biodiversity is unique, but is menaced by different drivers, particularly climate and land-use changes. In mainland Portugal, the highest mountain - Serra da Estrela - is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots, being classified as Natural Park since 1976. Many lepidopteran and odonate species, including rare and protected species, are known to occur in Serra da Estrela, but basic knowledge on their abundance, distribution and ecology is still lacking. Standardised sampling of these communities is crucial to provide valuable biological information to support short-term decision-making for conservation management, setting simultaneously the standards for mountain biodiversity monitoring aiming to tackle the effects of environmental change in the long-term.<br> This study reports novel information on lepidopteran and odonate species diversity, distribution and abundance from Serra da Estrela Natural Park (Portugal). Seventy-two lepidopteran and 26 odonate species were sampled in this protected area, including the first findings of Apatura ilia (Denis &amp; Schiffermüller, 1775), Macromia splendens (Pictet, 1843) and Vanessa virginiensis (Drury, 1773). New populations of Euphydrias aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775) and Oxygastra curtisii (Dale, 1834), protected species under the Habitats Directive, were found in this Natural Park and novel distribution and ecological data were collected for most species, including several rare species and subspecies [e.g. Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus, 1758), Coenonympha glycerion iphioides Staudinger, 1870, Cyaniris semiargus (Rottemburg, 1775) and Sympetrum flaveolum (Linnaeus, 1758)]. All data were collected using standardised sampling allowing its use as a baseline for biodiversity monitoring in Serra da Estrela.