DENSITY-DEPENDENT AND DENSITY-INDEPENDENT BEHAVIORS OF THE ADULT KARNER-BLUE (LYCAEIDES MELISSA SAMUELIS) (LEPIDOPTERA, LYCAENIDAE)

At 146 pine-oak barrens in central and northwestern Wisconsin USA duri ng 1988-96, 3973 Karner blues (Lycaeides melissa samuelis Nabokov) wer e found in 95.4 hr of transect surveys during spring and 6896 individu als in 134.8 hr during summer. Of these, 9346 (86%) individuals were f irst observed copulating, feeding, flushing, flying, or involved in a non-copulatory intraspecific interaction. All these behaviors except c opulation showed density-independent influences; all these behaviors a lso had density-dependent influences. The most frequently significant density-independent variables affecting occurrence of these behaviors were temperature, brood (spring vs. summer), and crepuscularity (time since noon). Male (rather than female or overall) Earner blue density more often significantly related to Karner blue behavior. Males showed density dependence in feeding (positive), flushing (negative), and fl ying (positive threshold) while females did not. Both sexes showed str ong positive density dependence in non-copulatory intraspecific intera ctions and copulation. Flying and intraspecific interactions showed si milar influences in relation to several variables, while flying and fl ushing had markedly opposite patterns. Males and females were also opp osite in their relative tendency to be observed flushing or flying, wi th females more likely to be flushing, males flying. Males also showed a greater tendency to engage in non-copulatory intraspecific interact ions.