Early dispersion and colony formation of the large heath butterfly Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus following a species reintroduced onto Chat Moss, Manchester, UK

Osborne, Andrew and Coulthard, Emma ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8935-9092 (2022) Early dispersion and colony formation of the large heath butterfly Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus following a species reintroduced onto Chat Moss, Manchester, UK. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 35. pp. 81-90. ISSN 0952-7583

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Abstract

Coenonympha tullia ssp. davus (F.), a specialist peatland butterfly characteristic of the northwest of England, is threatened by habitat loss resulting in numerous extirpations. A species reintroduction onto Chat Moss, Manchester, UK took place in May-June 2020. Dispersion during the first two flight seasons of the programme was monitored using GPS combined with distance-bearing estimates, producing fine grain maps of butterfly micro-distribution. The release population formed a colony across a well-defined habitat patch, within 50m of the release point, with gradual dispersion extending the overall range over the course of two flight seasons.