Localized overabundance of an otherwise rare butterfly threatens endangered cycads
Abstract
Though once considered extinct in Florida, the Eumaeus atala butterfly (Poey) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) has made a slow but steady recovery thanks to grassroots conservation efforts targeting the butterfly and its only native foodplant, the cycad Zamia integrifolia L.f. (Cycadales: Zamiaceae). A robust E. atala population occurs at the Montgomery Botanical Center, a research and conservation facility in Coral Gables, Florida, USA, that cultivates a living collection of global cycads, many of which are critically endangered in the wild. Since the early 2000s, the E. atala population at the Montgomery Botanical Center has grown and adopted an expanded host range, much to the detriment of the plants; both native and exotic cycads incur consistent and severe damage from larval herbivory. This presents a complex situation in which in situ butterfly conservation conflicts with ex situ cycad conservation. Here we describe the local population of E. atala at the Montgomery Botanical Center, suggest testable hypotheses for explaining the butterfly’s localized abundance, and discuss implications for butterfly and cycad conservation efforts in Florida.
Sumario
Aunque se le consideró localmente extinta en la Florida, la mariposa Eumaeus atala (Poey) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) ha tenido una recuperación lenta pero constante gracias a los esfuerzos de conservación dirigidos a la mariposa y su única planta alimenticia nativa, la cícada Zamia integrifolia L.f. (Cycadales: Zamiaceae). Una población robusta de E. atala se encuentra en el Centro Botánico de Montgomery, una instalación de investigación y conservación en Coral Gables, Florida, EE.UU., que cultiva una colección viviente de cícadas globales, muchas de las cuales están en peligro crítico en la naturaleza. Desde el principio de la década del 2000, la población de E. atala en el Centro Botánico de Montgomery ha crecido y ha adoptado un rango de hospederos mas amplio, en detrimento de las plantas; tanto las cícadas nativas como las exóticas sufren un daño constante y severo por la herbivoría de las larvas. Esto presenta una situación compleja en la que la conservación de mariposas in situ entra en conflicto con la conservación ex situ de las cícadas. Aquí describimos la población local de E. atala en el Centro Botánico de Montgomery, sugerimos hipótesis comprobables para explicar la abundancia localizada de mariposas y discutimos las implicaciones para los esfuerzos de conservación de mariposas y cícadas en Florida.
Key Words: Eumaeus atala; Zamia integrifolia; coontie; conservation; pest management
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