Long-Term Changes in the Fauna of Diurnal Lepidopterans (Lepidoptera,Diurna) in the Northern Taiga Subzone of the Western Russian Plain

In the diurnal lepidopteran fauna of the northern taiga subzone in the western Russian Plain, the species inhabiting primary biotopic complexes typical of this subzone currently account for slightly more than 60% of the total species richness and abundance. A large part of the fauna is represented by the species of more southern origin, whose expansion to the northern taiga was caused by anthropogenic transformation of landscapes between the 12th and 20th centuries and recent climate warming.     

Phenotypic diversity in populations of the common blue butterfly <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polyommatus icarus</Emphasis> Rott. As a trend in the ecocenotic strategy of the species

Phenotypic diversity in populations of Polyommatus icarus Rott. (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) is regarded as a component of the ecocenotic strategy of the species, trends in which may serve as markers characterizing the state of natural populations.     

Latitudinal Gradients of Trophics in Ural Macrolepidoptera: The Role of Food Quality

The Macrolepidoptera fauna of the Urals, from the southern to the northern boundary of the forest zone (i.e., from the forest–steppe of the Southern Urals to the forest–tundra of the Polar Urals) has been analyzed. It has been demonstrated that the proportion of Lepidoptera feeding on woody plants, including evergreens, increases in this direction. Among the Heterocera, the proportion of species feeding on graminoids decreases; in the Polar Urals, none of these species is specialized. The food spectrum is particularly variable in noctuids and almost invariable in geometrids and Rhopalocera. It is assumed that foods with a low nutrient value (grasses, mosses, lichens, plant debris, wood, and roots of various plants) prevent Macrolepidoptera species from spreading in the Subarctic region. In the Polar Urals, multiyear developmental cycles and wintering at the larval stage are related to feeding on these types of food.