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Parasitism rate of Plebejus argyrognomon ( Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae ) under different levels of mowing management
Author(s) -
Yeh Yenhua,
Deto Hidenori,
Miyashita Tadashi
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
entomological science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1479-8298
pISSN - 1343-8786
DOI - 10.1111/ens.12448
Subject(s) - lycaenidae , parasitism , biology , lepidoptera genitalia , grassland , butterfly , ecology , endangered species , habitat , agronomy , host (biology)
Plebejus argyrognomon is an endangered grassland butterfly species in Japan. In this study we focused on the parasitism rate of tachinid flies under different mowing management to obtain knowledge of this possible top‐down effect that has been largely ignored. We established three mowing treatments differing in the intensity of mowing, as represented by vegetation height. The results showed that the parasitism rate of P. argyrognomon increased with vegetation height; the parasitism rate in blocks subjected to the highest mowing intensity was 8%, whereas in blocks subjected to the lowest mowing intensity, the rate was 42%. We suggest that clarifying interspecific interactions is important for understanding how habitat management affects grassland‐inhabiting butterflies in general.