Invertebrate Conservation Issue Victoria’s butterflies in a national conservation context TRNew*, RP Field- and DPA Sands** 'DepartmentofZ;>ology,LaTrobeUniversity,Victoria3086([email protected]) ^DepartmentofPrimaryIndustriesVictoria. 1 SpringStreet,Melbourne.Victoria3000 ’CSIROEntomology. 120MeiersRoad,Indooroopilly.Queensland4068 Abstract Commentsare given on the conservation status ofVictoria’s butterflies, summarising and bringing up-to-date the information previously available in published documents. {The VictorianNaturalist 124 (4).2007,243-249) Introduction The Action Plan for Australian Butterflies Victoria, at Mount Piper, Broadford (henceforth Butterfly Action Plan. BAP) (Jelinek 1995; New and Britton 1997). (Sands and New 2002) is the only pub- This population appears to be separated lished attempt to assemble and assess from any other by at least several hundred information on the conservation status and kilometres, and merits conservation as an needsofan entire natural group ofinverte- isolated outlier ofthe species in a region brates in Australia. It contains dossiers on where other colonies are known to have 220speciesorsubspecies flaggedforsome become extinct due to loss ofhabitat. This conservation interest in Australia, and situation differs markedly from a ‘politi- reviews all species and subspecies occur- cally isolated’ population simply marking ring in the region. The information was the edge of a large continuous range by derived from published sources and from extendingnarrowly intothestate. wide consultation, including workshops in It is important to note that these 12 taxa all States and Territories, which were were categorised on the basis ofdefinable attended by many of the country’s most threats, rather than simply for their rarity, experienced and knowledgable butterfly even though rarity may be apredisposition enthusiasts. This broadtreatment allows us to threat in some cases. Othertaxa, suchas to considerthe current status ofthe butter- Oreixenica laticdis theddora, endemic to flies flagged for conservation significance the Mount Buffalo plateau, were reported in Victoria, some listed under the Flora as ‘Lower Risk (Near threatened)’, and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988, in the because tangible threats were not easily wider national context. We indicate more definable. This butterfly is abundant and recent information on a few taxa, and note widespread on Buffalo, itself a national also the account by Field (1995) in which park in which butterfly management (if hecommentedon21 Victoriantaxathathe needed) could be undertaken within a believedto have declined in the state over secure habitat. Flowever, for any such iso- thepreviouscentury. lated species, stochastic events such as bushfires may be devastating, but their Thebutterflies The 12 taxa reported in BAP as threatened efifrfeec(twsivtehrythdeifofiuctucltomteosproedficrte.ceOntthefrirethoann in Victoria (Table 1) are all members of the plateau not yet known) the main possi- Amuasjtorraleinade(miNcewbutt1e9r9f9l)y,rawdiitahtiinonsthien bcloenttrhraecattitoonOo.f1.tthheedadloprianemaayreraestulhtrofurgohm Hesperiidae (4 taxa), Nymphalidae (1) and global warming. Contraction ofrange is an Lycaenidae (7). Several ofthese are dis- important potential indicator for such tributed far more widely in Australia, and changes ontheplateau, butitis indeeddif- their conservation interest in Victoria is ficult to formulate constructive conserva- essentially state-based. The Small Ant- tion management for such an eventuality blue Acrodipsas myrmecophila, for exam- for speciesthat appearalreadytobe onthe ple, occurs widely elsewhere but is known ‘extreme edge’ of their potential range. currently from only one isolated colony in Vol. 124 (4)2007 243 Invertebrate Conservation Issue Tahle 1. Bultcrtlicsin Victoriarankedasthreatenedateithernationalorstatelevel in BAP Taxon Conservationstatus FF(i listed IIFSPFRIIDAF liespehllaflavcscensfJavescens Vulnerable Yes II. uhlheaclara VulnerableinSouthAustralia No Telicotacurvchlora Threatened in Victoria Vulnerable inQacensland Yes Trapezitesphiyalia VulnerableinSouthAustralia No NYMPHALIDAE Ileieronymphacordacewi/soni Criticallyendangered Yes LYCAENIDAE Acrodipsasbrisbanensiscvrilus Vulnerable Yes A. mvrmecophila EndangeredinVictoria Yes Candalidesnoelkeri Endanaered Yes ()g\risidmohalma/uria Endangered Yes (). oleines Endangeredin Victoria Yes 0. subterrestrissubterrestris Vulnerablein SouthAustralia Yes andVictoria Paraluciapyrodiscuslucida Vulnerable Yes Table2. Buttertliesrecorded in Victoriabutwhichareregardedasof'Lowerrisk’ (LR), ’Datadefi- cient' (DD). or for which main conservation concerns are elsewhere. Range states/te'rritories arc given byinitial letters. Taxon Range Conservation FFlisted concern HESPERIIDAE Ilesperillachrysotricha leucosia SA,V LR(SA) No Trapeziteseliena 0,NSW,ACT, SA,V LR(SA) No T. luteusluteus SA.V LR(SA) Yes Tsymmomussoma SA,V LR(SA) No NYMPHALIDAE Oreixenicakershawikanunda SA, V LR;Vulnerable No in SA 0. latialisiheddora V LR Yes 0. lafhoniellaherceus NSW,ACT, SA, V DD(SA) No LYCAENIDAE Acrodipsasbrisbanensis brisbanensis WA,0,NSW,ACT,V DD(WA) Yes(asspecies) Ilypochrysopsignitus ignitus Q,NSW, SA,V LR(SA,V) Yes Jalmenusicilius WA,Q,NSW,ACT,SA,V LR(V) Yes Nacadubabiocellata biocellata WA,NT,0,T,NSW,SA,V DD(T) No Pseudalmenuschlorinda zephyrus T,NSW,ACT,V LR(T) No Theclinesthesalbocincta WA,NT,Q,NSW.SA,V DD(Q) Yes thethreatened species in Victoria,toexem- cient taxa(the latterbeingthose forwhich plify the range of concerns arising from available information is insufficient to for- BAP, and to note some advances fromthat mulate sound inference) are noted in Table time. One ofthe taxa, the Eltham Copper 2: most are of little current concern in Paraluciapyrodiscus liicida (a subspecies Victoria. All are members ofthe same tax- endemic to Victoria) is treated separately onomic groupsrepresented in Table 1. in this issue of The Victorian Naturalist In this note, we comment on several of (Canzano et a/., this issue). The Eltham 244 The Victorian Naturalist Invertebrate ConservationIssue Copper is an important flagship for inver- the state’s only endemic butterfly species. tebrateconservation in the state. Before its recent formal description (Braby Thethreatcategoriesnoted in Table 1 are and Douglas 2004), it was referred to (e.g. ‘critically endangered’ (most serious), in BAP) as Candalides heathi ssp. ‘Wyn ‘endangered’, and ‘vulnerable’. Wyn’ or ’Wimmeraform’. Thetwo known breeding sites are about 3 km apart, and Noteson selectedtaxa they occupy collectively about 3 ha. Both Criticallyendangered sites are now conservation reserves: Lake Heteronympha cordace wilsoni. This nar- Wyn Wyn Wildlife Reserve is managed by rowly distributed satyrine is the only Trust for Nature, Victoria, and Oliver’s Victorian butterfly given this status. It is Lake Flora Reserve by Parks Victoria and known only from the far south west of private landowners. Caterpillars of C. Victoria (around the mouth ofthe Glenelg noelkeri feed only on Myoporumparvifoli- River) and a small abutting area of far um in small areas of floodplains between south-eastern South Australia, and at the saline lakesandadjacentwoodland. time of BAP had not been recorded for Major threats are site invasions by some time - the most recent records were Melaleuca halmaturonim, creating dense in 1980 (Victoria) and 1976 (South shade and reducingthehabitatoccupiedby Australia), and there were fears that it Myoporum and (at Wyn Wyn) also by might have become extinct as a conse- Horehound Marruhium vulgare. Although quence ofcontinued habitat degradation in Sands and New (2002) suggested that ris- the area. Caterpillars feed on species of ing salt levels pose a further threat, this Carex, andthe majorfactorin thebutterfly was not considered likely by Braby and decline has been drainage and clearing of Douglas (2004). However, with such nar- thewetlandsinwhichthehostplantgrows, row distribution, and additional searches with subsequent further degradation not yet revealing any further populations, through overgrazing by cattle. This has led intensive site management may be needed to some former sites being unlikely to host toconservethebutterfly. the butterfly in the future. Historically- Ogyris idino halmaturia (possibly a dis- extant populations were generally small, tinct species, rather than a subspecies) is localised, and presumed to be closed, as known from South Australia and Victoria. adult butterflies appeared to disperse little, Other than a sighting in the Grampians in sothatsmall dedicatedreserves maybethe 1970 (Douglas 1995), it has not been seen key for conservation. The major recom- in the State since 1945, with the only mendationofBAPwasto instigate surveys known colony (near Kiata, Little Desert) throughoutitshistorical rangeto determine lost by clearing vegetation for agriculture. whether H, c. wilsoni still exists, as a pre- Itwas rediscoveredin SouthAustraliaonly lude to providing effective protection for in the mid 1990s (Hunt et al. 1998), with anypopulations found. three coloniesreported. It is Endangered in A small colony was discovered in South both range states. Surveys are needed to Australia in 2004-2005, with its presence attempt to confirm whether the butterfly daensdcrriebpeodrtaesd ‘fporremcaalrliyoubsy’ H(Garyuwnodod200a6n)d stiTllheexistcsaitnerVipcitlolrairas. associate with Natt (2006). Grund (2006) noted also that Camponotus ants nesting around the base the butterfly has reappeared within the last of eucalypts and other trees. However, two seasons at formerly occupied Carex unlike most other species ofOgyris, these marsh sites, in both southeastern South larvae may be entirely predatory, and feed Australia and western Victoria. Further on the ant brood rather than on mistletoes, investigations may lead to downgrading of which are generally absent from trees sup- statusto ‘endangered’. porting Camponotusnests. Endangered Ogymis otanes. This species has a wider Candalides noelkeri, known from two geographical range than most taxa noted small saline sites in inland western here, but the South Australia/Victoria pop- Victoria, is (as noted above) significant as ulations constitute a distinct ‘form’ (Dunn and Dunn 1991; Williams and Hay 2001). VoU24 2007 245 (4) Inverlchrafe Conservation Issue In South Australia- it occurs sporadically [)ata Deficient in the Northern Territory in the southern temperate mainland areas, and Endangered in Victoria. It is thus of mainly in malice country where the larval considerable state significance. Caterpillars food plant Choretrum glomeratwn grows, live within nests ofPapyrhis ants('coconut and on Kangaroo Island. It has become ants’)andfeedon theantbrood. rare on the mainland due to vegetation Most knowledge of the species in clearing. Although apparently secure on Victoria is derived from a now extinct Kangaroo Island, it is Vulnerable on the colony at Ocean Grove and more recently maIinnlViacntdor{iGar,utnhde2f0o0o2d).plant is Choretrum tferromleda tpoopsuolamteioinnnaotvMatoiuvnetsPuigpgeers.tiTohneslfaotr- '1 spicafum and, as elsewhere, the caterpillars management, such as the use ofw^ooden associate with Camponotus ants. Its persis- trap nests to enhance ant colonies and for tence in Victoria needs confirmation. The use as possible translocation units for the main known population (in the Big Desert) butterfly (Britton 1997). In the future, ii may be extinct, and buttertlies have not maybepracticableto useknowledgeofthe been seen there since 1977. The few other butterfly from studies elsewhere in its Victorian records are also from the Big range to improve conservation manage- Desert region. Increased targeted surveys, ment in Victoria. perhaps focusingon the scatteredpatchesof Vulnerable C. spicatum (as recommended by Douglas 1995),areneededtoconfirm itspresence. Three butterfly taxa are listed as Acrodipsashrishanensiscyrilusisanother Vulnerable in Victoriain BAP. lycaenid known only from South Australia Hesperillafiavescensflavescens isoneof abnanytdesVosiumcbtesoprwieaoc.rikeIsetrsisss,erpebageraacrtadiueosdneafsorfoqmuseutsbhtseitoannnotamibial-le ctitwosoemlfmsoaunbmsepwemictbiheersthoeoffSaoaunstpheecniAdeuessmtircaoclmipsalkneixpHp,.erif,n individual variation in the adult butterflies. flavia, it is associated with small wetland The few populations regarded as this sub- sites supporting the larval food plantsedge species occur in remnant woodland/forest Gahniafilum. The subspecies name is patches, some close to Melbourne, butvery applied to the distinctive clinal 'yellow gliyt.tleAsis wkintohwAn.omfyritmsedceovpehliolpcmrenctataelrpbiilollaor-s nfeoarrm’Meclhbaroaucrtneeri,stwiicthofthaefceowmmpoopnulaeptiitohnest associate with Papyrhis ants, and livewith- of 'Altona skipper’ emphasising this inthenests. Manyoftherecordsareofhill- localised distribution over a few swamps topping adults, and their breeding sites from Point Cook to the Altona region. remain unknown. Threats have broadly reflected urbanisa- The single known site in south-eastern tion (New and Sands 2002), and a variety South Australia is said to be secure. ofconservation needswere summarisedby How'ever, the butterfy has not been seen Crosby (1990) and in BAP. Recent man- there since its original discovery, and agement at two key localities, Point Cook burns of nearby areas have created some and Truganina Swamp, has includedplant- uncertainty over its continued existence ings of Gahnia to extend the range and (Grund 2004). The major Victorian popu- counter the slow natural recruitmentofthe lation is within the Little Desert NP hostplantpopulation(Savage2002). (Douglas 1995). An apparently well-estab- Ogyrissuhterrestrissiibterrestrishashis- lished colony there may afford the best torically been confused with O. idmo. and opportunity for study to clarify basic is known from Victoria, New South Wales biology. Several former colonies of the (a single record near Broken Hill) and butterfly elsewhere have been lost, includ- South Australia (three sites). Pending its sinugccsuommbeedcltooseurtboanMedlebvoeulronpemetnhtat(hNaevwe eredceinntVdiecstcorriipatiaosn'(OFgiyerlids1s9p.99a)ff.itiwdamso\lisAt- ;| and Sands2002). second subspecies occurs in Western Acrodipsas myrmecophila was noted ear- Australia. In Victoria it is restricted to the lier. It was regarded in BAP as secure over far north-west, around Mildura and in the most ofits extensive Australian range, but Hattah-Kulkyne and Murray-Sunset NPs, 246 The Victorian Naturalist Invertebrate Conservation Issue where it is associated with Camponotus Discussion ants. Itappearsalwaystohave been scarce, Evaluating the status ofbutterflies forcon- with probable declines due to vegetation servation need is never easy, except in clearing and overgrazing by sheep clearcut cases of single (or few) popula- {Douglas 1995), as well as wider general tionsclearlythreatened bytangibleimposi- disturbance which might lead to loss of tions whose abatement can be a focus for Camponotus. A broad current biological management. Such management is usually knowledge could form the foundation for basedalso on sound biological understand- constructive conservation based on restric- ing ofthe focal taxa, so that good basic tion ofvegetation clearing around known research is often a precursor to effective sites and further targeted searches in the conservation. However,becausemajorgaps north-west. in knowledge persist, practical conservation Paralucia pyrodiscus liicida occurs in must commonly proceed in its absence. In three widely separated areas of Victoria, this case the focus is necessarily often to most famously around Eltham in outer conserve the habitat or site at which a north-eastern Melbourne, where the small species occurs as a basis for pursuing more isolated occupied sites are important urban detailed management, should this be need- remnants demanding continuing manage- ed. mentto retain their suitability. The Eltham Several ofthe 18 Victorian butterflies Copper has received more dedicated con- listed under the Flora and Fauna servation attention than any other butterfly Guarantee Act (at July 2006) were not inVictoria(seeCanzanoetat. this issue). considered threatened in BAP; and no The taxa listed in Table 2 are predomi- Victorian butterflies are listed for national nantly those whose wide range is associat- protection under the Federal Endangered ed with greater conservation importance Species and Biodiversity Protection Act elsewhere than in Victoria. Only 1999. The anomalous Victorian taxa are Oreixenica /. theddora , noted earlier, is the skippers Antipodia atralba and restricted tothe state. Two others are noted Telicota eurychlora, the satyrine as 'Lower Risk, near threatened’ for Hypocysta adiante, and the lycaenids Victoria,andarenotedbrieflybelow. Ogyris genoveva araxes and Theclinesthes Hypochysopsignitus ignitiis. The ‘Lower albocincta. Field (1995) listed several other risk’ status evaluation is shared with South taxa, but all ofthose appear to be secure in Australia, but this butterfly is one ofthe reserves,orlocallywell-established. most widely distributed Hypochrysops in Antipodiaatralbaisregarded as naturally Australia. Substantial habitat loss has rare, but with current distribution suggest- occurred in South Australia and Victoria, ing decline (Douglas 1993). It can become leading to concerns in those states, with common following vegetation regrowth evaluations up to ‘Vulnerable’ (Grund afterfires(Braby2000). Telicotaeiaychlo- 2005). Further surveys are needed in ra is known from only one location in Victoria to ensure that sufficient popula- Victoria, at the mouth ofthe Thurra River, tionsare included in majorreserves such as where the small isolated population is national parks, and to secure these ade- secure inthe CroajingolongNP. Hypocysta quatelyagainstdisturbance. adiante is common along much ofthe east Jalmeniis icilius. This species is very coast of Australia, but probably only a widely distributed in many open woodland ‘political vagrant’ in Victoria, where it has and mallee communities but is extremely been reported only from a single record at scarce in Victoria, where it occurs only as Cudgewa, close to the northern State bor- putative remnant populations following der: it has not been confirmed as a breed- extensive clearingofnatural vegetation for ing resident in Victoria. Ogyris genoveva agriculture. Douglas (1995) knew of only araxes has apparently diminished in abun- fiveVictorian localities, and ranked/ iciC dance and some populations have been insas ‘Endangered’. Themajorinitial need lost. However, BAP workshop participants is for more extensive surveys and, in par- implied that the butterfly is not threatened ticular, to confirm (and, iffound, secure) at present, not least because a number of itsexistence intheGrampiansNP. populations are in reserves. Finally, T. Vol. 124 (4) 2007 247 Invertebrate Conservation Issue alhocinctahas been ranked as ’Vulnerable' C'rosby DF (1990) A managementplan fortheAltona (Douglas 19^)5), but conservation may be (SLkeippipdeorptbeurtat:erfHleyspHeersipiedraiel)la65Jlappv.esTceecnhsniWcaatlerRheopuosret needed only over parts of the species’ Scries No. 98, (Arthur Rylah Institute for extensive range. In Victoria, some key EnvironmentalResearch,Melbourne) thiaobnitactlseamrainyghaanvdessuubcsceuqmuebnetd sthoeveepgeatnad- DocauengndltarhsaalbFita(a1nt9d9r3ew)qeuTsihrteeemrecnonntssVeirocvtfaotdriiiouanr.nsatlPaatLruset,pid3di:ostpFrtiaebmruaitiloiynn raObtbihtergrsapzeicnigesofwoforotdhpylaonftsn.ote include the HMDeeelpsbaporeutrrmineiend.taeo.fC6o2nseprpv.atRieonpoarntdtNoatutrhaelVRiescotuorrcieasn, skipper Nefrocorvne repanckt repanda. DouglasF(1995) Recoveryplan forthreateneddiurnal wfrhoimchounnltyilorneecesnptelcyiwmaens.knItoiwsnnionwVikcntoorwina LLDeeyppcaiardetonmpietdneatrea.ofin1Co0wn0esseptrpev.rantiRoeVnipcoatrnotrdiaNt.aotuPtrahareltVR2ei:scotFuoarrmciiealsny: to be breeding in the Buchan Caves Melbourne. reserve. A distinct form of the lycaenid Dunn KL and Dunn LE (1991) Review ofAustralian butterflies: distribution, life history and taxonomy, Candalides absimilis is restricted to the Parts 1-4.600pp.Publishedprivately:Melbourne. south-east corner ofAustralia, with breed- Field RP (1995)Conservation ofVictorianbutterflies. ing colonies in the Mitchell River NP and FiTelhdeVRiPcto(r1i9a9n9N)atuAranlieswt1s1p2e,c4i3e-s46o.fOgyris Angas at Buchan. Both these taxa have been (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from southern arid found on remnant vegetation and street Australia.MemoirsofMuseum Victoria57.251-259. treesat Buchan. GrOugnydriRs(2o0t0a2n)esSoCut.hanAdustRr.alFieanldbeurt)ter(fSlimeasldlatBarsohneezte. ’Conservation status’ is adynamic condi- Azure),-rtbg/otanes ds.htm tion, often very difficult to confirm and GrundR(2004)SouthAustralianbutterfliesdatasheet. justify, and the criteria used by various A-rctrbogd/iapcsraosdibprsiassbadnse.nhstims(Miskin)(F3ronzeAnt-blue). workers and in different contextsvarycon- GrundR(2005)SouthAustralianbutterfliesdatasheet. siderably; it can also change rapidly with H-rytpbogc/ihgrnyistouspsdsig.nhittmus ignitus (Leach) (Fiery.lewel). human influences in the environment. GrundR(2006)SouthAustralianbutterfliesdatasheet. Manyotherbutterflies in Victoriacould eas- Heteronympha cordace wilsoni Burns (Bright-eyed wiliydebsepcroemaed ftihrreesatmeaneyd.haFvoerceaxuasmepdlel,osrseecsenotf HavByarwtoiowonon)d,oB-fTerHgae/ntcdeoNrradotantcyeVmpd(sh2.a0h0t6cm)orFdirasctecowniflisromneidBobusrenrs- isolated butterfly populations in many parts (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae; Satyrinae) in South ofVictoria, but the extent ofthese effects is HuAnutstLr,alMiao.orTheeMAusatnrdalMioaonrEentDo.m(o1l9o9g8i)stRe3d3i.s5c-o7v.eryof at present unknown. The above appraisal is Ogyris halmaturia (Tepper, 1890). Victorian thus open to severerevision. Any such eval- Entomologist28, 113-116. uationsofthreatshould be subjecttoperiod- Jel‘ibnutetkerAfl(y19c9o5m)muCnointsye'r.vaTthieonVsitcrtaotreigaynfNoartuartahlriesatte1n1e2d. ical critical review, in order to facilitate 47-50. adaptive management and the most rational New TR (1999) The evolution and characteristicsof the Australian butterfly fauna. In Kitching RL, allocation ofpriority. Butterflies are unusual Scheermeyer E, .lones RE and Pierce NE (eds) amongst invertebrates in that such review is BiologyofAustralian butterflies. Pp. 33-52 CSIRO indeedpossible. NePwublTisRhianngd:CBorlitltionngwDoRod)(1997) Refiningaconserva- Acknowledgement tion plan for an endangered lycaenid butterfly. eWaerliaeprpdrreacfitatoeftchoismmpaepnetrs. from a reviewerofan NeJAowcurrTondRailpasnoadfsISnasmneycdntsnCDeocPnosAeprh(vU2a0at0,i2o)ninC1oV,nis1ce-t8ro.vraitai,onAucsotnrcaelrina.s forbutterfliesin urbanareasofAustralia.Journalof RBreafbeyrMeFnc(e2(s)()0)BiUterjUesofAustralia: theiridenti- SaInndssectDCPoAnsearnvdatNieonwT6,R20(72-02021)5.TheAction Planfor fication,biolog\umddistribution.CSIROPublishing: Australian Butterflies. (Environment Australia. Melbourne. Canberra) BrabyMFandDouglasF(2004)Thetaxonomy,ecolo- Savage E(2002)Options andtechniquesformanag- gyandconservationstatusoftheGolden-rayedBlue: ingChaffysaw-sedge{Gahniafdum)ashabitatfor a threatened bulterHy endemic to western Victoria, theAltonaSkipperbutterfly(HesperillaJlavescens Australia. BiologicalJournaloftheLinneanSociety flavescens). Occasional Paper Series. 81,275-299. (Conservation and Environmental Management, Britton DR(1997)Anttrapnestsenabledetectionofa ParksVictoria)Melbourne. tr(ahWreaetfaeienrldhd.oluMoseceamloaiiznerddsLboyueftltMelir)fvl(iyLe,eupAmicdrVooipdctiteporrsaia:asL5m6yy,cna3en8ne3i-cd3oa8pe7h).Uian WislpleicaimessMoRf aOngdyrHiasy oRtWane(s200C1.) T&woR.neFwelsduebr- Canzano A,NewTR and Yen AL (2007) The Ellham (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from Western Australia. Copper ButterHy, Paraluciapyrodiscus lucida TheAustralianEntomologist28,55-63. (Lycaenidae):localversusstateconservationstrategies inVictoria.TheVictorianNaturalist124.236-242. Received22March2007;accepted05July2007 248 The Victorian Naturalist