Uherkovich Ákos: A Béda-Karapancsa Tájvédelmi Körzet élővilága (Dunántúli Dolgozatok Természettudományi Sorozat 6., 1992)

Uherkovich Ákos és Ábrahám Levente: A Béda-Karapancsa Tájvédelmi Körzet nagylepkefaunája (Lepidoptera) • Larger moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) of the Béda-Karapancsa landscape-protection area, South Hungary.

Larger moths and butterfies (Lepidoptera) of Béda-Karapancsa landscape-protection area, South Hungary. Ákos UHERKOVICH and Levente ÁBRAHÁM Béda-Karapancsa landscape-protection area lays on both sides of the most southern branches of Danube in Hungary. It is covered by various forests. The ancient type of vegetation is oak-ash-elm gallery forest (Querco-Ulmetum) and willow-poplar gallery (Salicetum albae-fragilis). The riversides are bordered by willow bush zone (Salicetum triandrae). This landscape-protection area spreads over almost 65 square km. During the years 1989-1991 we collected here several times. In 1989 two light traps were erected (see Fig. 1). The bulk of material was captured by these traps. Altogether 408 Lepidoptera species were disclosed, 9 of them are protected ones (Apatura metis Frr., Apatura ilia Den. et Schiff., Vanessa atalanta L., Inachis io L., Thersamonia dispar hungarica Szabó, Papilio machaon L., Iphiclides podalirius L., Proserpinus proserpina Pall., Arctia /estiva Hufn.). Apatrura metis Frr. is of highest value in faunistical and natural protection respect, occuring only along the southern branches of Danube, in willow-poplar gallery forest and in willow bushes. This species lives also in some northern sites of Yugoslavia and Croatia, along the larger rivers. Three Díűc/irys/a-species are also rarities. D. zosimi Hbn. occurs mostly in mesophilous meadows of South and West Tarnsdanubia, its larvae feed on Sanguisorba officinalis. This plant does not live in the landscape-protection area. It can be supposed its foodplants are various Rosaceae here. D. nadeja Obth. was collected first time only a few years ago in Hungary (VARGA 1981). This species is one of the rarest one in Hungary, we pointed it out only from eight sites of South Transdaubia. About twenty-five specimens were captured altogether, most of them in the gallery forests along southern branches of Danube. During the past two decades the area of Diachrysia chryson Esp. has increased consideralby. Nowadays it occurs almost in all larger and relatively wet forests of South Transdanubia, its area already spreads over the southern inundation plane of Danube, too. Another very rare and characteristic species is Herminia (Zanclognatha) tenuialis Rbl. All of its collecting sites are situated in South Hungary. Years ago it was relatively frequent in some wet forests. The most valuable parts of the landscape-protection area are some very old oakash-elm gallery forests and some very old oak stands. These forests give the optimum circumstances for the continuous existence of most diversified lepidoptera communities. Levente ÁBRAHÁM Somogy megyei Múzeum Р. О. Box 70 H-7401 Kaposvár Authors' address: Dr. Ákos UHERKOVICH Department of Natural History Janus Pannonius Museum P. O. Box 347 H-7601 Pécs 177