The history, ecology, and reintroduction of the chequered skipper butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon in England
type: CreativeWork
description: Over 41% of global insect species have declined over the past decade, compared with 22% of vertebrate species. For Lepidoptera, 53% of species are declining and 34% are threatened globally. Since 1976, 80% of butterflies species have declined in either abundance or occurrence or both in the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 24 of 62 (41%) UK butterfly species assessed as part of a 2022 Red List of British Butterflies published by UK conservation charity Butterfly Conservation are classed as Threatened, with a further five (9%) as Near Threatened. The number of Threatened UK butterflies continues to rise and shows no sign of abating. A total of six butterfly species have been declared extirpated in the UK in recorded history, including the chequered skipper butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon, which was lost from England in 1976 after a precipitous decline that was believed to have started in the 1960s. However, due to a paucity of available data, the species’ historic distribution and abundance in England was poorly understood. As part of the Butterfly Conservation-led reintroduction of C. palaemon to Rockingham Forest in Northamptonshire known as Back from the Brink – Roots of Rockingham (2018-21), a research project was developed to enhance the 266 historic records of C. palaemon that exist on the Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM) database through museum and other uncollated data, and use the enhanced dataset used to analyse the pattern of C. palaemon decline and extirpation in England. In 2018, 42 adult C. palaemon were released at Fineshade Wood using stock translocated from donor populations in Belgium. The Fineshade Wood population was sampled in 2019, 2020, and 2021 to estimate its size, determine the mobility and dispersal of individual butterflies, and describe the ecology of the reintroduced species. A complementary review was undertaken to determine the global status of butterfly reintroductions, and the impact of woodland management on other taxa at …
abstract: Over 41% of global insect species have declined over the past decade, compared with 22% of vertebrate species. For Lepidoptera, 53% of species are declining and 34% are threatened globally. Since 1976, 80% of butterflies species have declined in either abundance or occurrence or both in the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 24 of 62 (41%) UK butterfly species assessed as part of a 2022 Red List of British Butterflies published by UK conservation charity Butterfly Conservation are classed as Threatened, with a further five (9%) as Near Threatened. The number of Threatened UK butterflies continues to rise and shows no sign of abating. A total of six butterfly species have been declared extirpated in the UK in recorded history, including the chequered skipper butterfly Carterocephalus palaemon, which was lost from England in 1976 after a precipitous decline that was believed to have started in the 1960s. However, due to a paucity of available data, the species’ historic distribution and abundance in England was poorly understood. As part of the Butterfly Conservation-led reintroduction of C. palaemon to Rockingham Forest in Northamptonshire known as Back from the Brink – Roots of Rockingham (2018-21), a research project was developed to enhance the 266 historic records of C. palaemon that exist on the Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM) database through museum and other uncollated data, and use the enhanced dataset used to analyse the pattern of C. palaemon decline and extirpation in England. In 2018, 42 adult C. palaemon were released at Fineshade Wood using stock translocated from donor populations in Belgium. The Fineshade Wood population was sampled in 2019, 2020, and 2021 to estimate its size, determine the mobility and dispersal of individual butterflies, and describe the ecology of the reintroduced species. A complementary review was undertaken to determine the global status of butterfly reintroductions, and the impact of woodland management on other taxa at …
author: Wildman, Jamie Paul
language: eng
keywords: Butterfly, Ecology, Reintroduction, Reintroduced, History, Biology, Chequered Skipper, Carterocephalus palaemon, Conservation, Translocation, Extinction, Extirpation, Decline, Metapopulation, Habitat Loss, Fragmentation, Restoration, Management, Species Monitoring, Recording, Musuems, Collections, Rockingham Forest, Fineshade, Historic distribution, Photo-identification, Lepidoptera, Mark-release-recapture, Mobility, Disperal, Population size, Lifespan, Movements, Population sampling, Belgium, England, Bugle, Ajuga reptans, Historic data, Northamptonshire, Papilio paniscus, Anthropogenic, Environment, Butterflies for the New Millennium, Butterfly Conservation, Reestablishment, Biodiversity
date published: 2023-5
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:26:52Z
provider: University of Northampton
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Northampton