HABITAT UTILIZATION BY THE HEATH FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY, MELLICTA-ATHALIA SSP CELADUSSA (ROTT) (LEPIDOPTERA, NYMPHALIDAE) IN MONTANE GRASSLANDS OF DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT

Habitat suitability for larval and/or adult Mellicta athalia ssp. cela dussa (Rott.) was examined in a variety of grassland types: traditiona lly cultivated hay meadows, different successional stages of abandoned grasslands and differently managed abandoned grasslands. Larval food plants and caterpillars occurred almost exclusively in traditionally c ultivated hay meadows and in recently abandoned grassland's. Adult M. athalia were abundant in all types of habitat studied. Females used al l habitat types for nectar foraging corresponding to powers in bloom. However, males seem to separate the study area into a matting habitat (hay meadows and recently abandoned grasslands) and a feeding habitat (mature abandoned grasslands rich in flowers). Mark-release-recapture data support these activity patterns, indicated by the large number of movements between these two habitat types. Two years of mowing abando ned grasslands show no effect an larval food plants and a slightly pos itive effect on the abundance of nectar sources, indicating that regen eration of traditionally cut hay meadows from mature abandoned grassla nds is a long-term process. The importance of conserving a variety of habitats within a whole landscape in order to maintain M. athalia as w ell as many other butterfly species in the alpine region is advocated. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.