Danube Clouded Yellow Butterfly | ResearchLab Jac.Loos

Danube Clouded Yellow butterfly
Research Project

Conservation of the endangered Danube Clouded Yellow butterfly (Colias myrmidone) in Natura 2000 sites of Romania

Overview

The project aims to prevent the disappearance of the butterfly in the three Natura 2000 sites located in the counties of Harghita and Cluj in Romania.

Duration

01.04.2018 - 30.09.2022

Project location

Romania

Finished

more Information

The habitat of the Danube Clouded Yellow Butterfly is characterised by a small-scale functional and niche diversity. That makes this species the prototype of a butterfly species, which is adapted to a diverse cultural landscape. Any landscape standardisation and homogenisation leads to a significant and rapid decline of their number. In the last 15 years, this butterfly has become extinct in numerous EU member states. To protect its habitat and existence, the EU listed it in Annexes II and IV of its Habitats Directive. One of the last known habitats of the species is in Romania where, however, their populations are already endangered

Common Name:

Danube Clouded Yellow Butterfly

Scientific Name:

Colias myrmidon

Family:

Pieridae (Whites and Sulphurs)

The Danube clouded yellow butterfly is a medium-sized butterfly species characterised by its vibrant yellow wings, which are bordered with a bold black margin.

Wingspan: 45-55 mm

The underside of the wings tends to be more muted with greenish-yellow colouring, making it well camouflaged when resting .

Females usually exhibit a paler hue, sometimes with white forms (known as albino females).

listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN Red List

The populations have suffered major declines due to the losss of suitable habitat, primarily due to agricultural intensification, changes in grassland management and afforestation. Conservation efforts are focused on habitat protection, restoration of traditional land-use practices and captive breeding programs to reintroduce the species into the wild.

Flight Period:

Typically two flight periods (bivoltine)

Adults emerging in late spring and again in late summer

Feeding:

Adults: primarily feed on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, including thistles, clovers and other meadow flowers

Larvae: feed on specific leguminous plants such as Chamaecytisus and Coronilla

Reproduction:

Eggs are laid singly on the host plants, where larvae will later hatch and feed on the leaves. The larvae are green with white lateral lines, which help them blend in with their surroundings. They go through several bolts before pupating.

Species Profil

Project Details

The project aimed at supporting the conservation efforts for the butterfly in three Natura 2000 sites and to prevent a further decline of the species together with the local population. Therefore, experts from Romania and Germany investigated the requirements of the species for its habitat as well as – in dialogue with the local population – the land use methods, which have enabled the survival of the species in Romania so far. Together they derived proposals, which integrate conservation efforts and land use. The knowledge gained during this project can contribute to the management plans of the Natura 2000 sites in the project region as well as be used for conservation or reintroduction efforts in other European countries, where the butterfly once occurred, e.g. in Germany. In order to provide access to this information also after the end of the project, a brochure and a short documentary film were produced in English and in the languages of the project region: Romanian and Hungarian. Scientific findings of this project were published in specialist journals.