Butterfly Conservation in South-Eastern Australia: Progress and Prospects (eBook)

Preface 6
Contents 10
Part I Setting the Scene: South-Eastern Australia’s Butterflies and Their Conservation 12
Chapter 1: Australia’s Butterflies: Some Background 13
1.1 Introduction 13
1.2 Diversity 14
1.3 Biogeography 19
1.4 Collecting and Recording 23
1.5 Distribution and Conservation Status 29
Chapter 2: Environments for Butterflies in South Eastern Australia 34
2.1 Introduction 34
2.2 Environmental Change 34
2.3 Threats and Butterfly Declines 37
2.4 Urbanisation 39
Chapter 3: Butterflies in Australian Conservation Legislation 44
3.1 Introduction: History, Development and Reception 44
3.2 The Butterfly Action Plan 52
3.3 Consequences of Recognition for Conservation Need 58
Part II Cases: Subspecies to Communities 62
Chapter 4: A Wetland Skipper on Sedges: Hesperilla flavescens 63
4.1 Introduction 63
4.2 Hesperilla flavescens flavia 64
4.3 Hesperilla flavescens flavescens 66
Chapter 5: The Australian Hairstreak, Pseudalmenus chlorinda 74
5.1 Introduction 74
5.2 Biology and Conservation 74
5.3 Discussion 77
Chapter 6: Tales of Two Coppers, Paralucia spp. 78
6.1 Introduction 78
6.2 The Eltham Copper, Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida 78
6.2.1 Biology 83
6.2.2 Conservation 86
6.2.2.1 Larval Counts 87
6.2.2.2 Adult Counts 88
6.2.2.3 Threats 89
6.3 The Bathurst Copper, Paralucia spinifera 94
6.3.1 Biology 96
6.3.2 Conservation 98
6.4 Discussion 103
Chapter 7: Unity in Richness: Azure Blues (Ogyris spp.) in Patchy Environments 105
7.1 Introduction 105
7.2 Biology and Conservation 107
Chapter 8: Butterflies in a Disappearing Ecosystem: Alpine Satyrinae 113
8.1 Introduction 113
8.2 Alpine Butterflies 114
8.2.1 Oreixenica ptunarra 115
8.2.2 Oreixenica latialis theddora 120
Chapter 9: Butterfly Community No. 1 125
9.1 Introduction 125
9.2 Mount Piper 125
9.3 Communities in Legislation and Practice 137
Part III Lessons Learned, and Future Endeavour 142
Chapter 10: Building on the Current Foundation 143
10.1 Introduction 143
10.2 Taxonomic Uncertainty 143
10.3 Needs for Conservation 145
10.4 Fire as a Management Tool 145
10.5 Conservation and Landscape Issues 148
10.6 Climate Change 149
10.7 Expanding Ranges 152
10.8 Effective Butterfly Conservation 154
10.9 Towards Management 162
10.10 The Future 164
10.11 Lessons from and for Elsewhere 169
10.12 Broader Regional Context 173
References 178
Index 189