I Lepidotteri Ropaloceri della Zona Speciale di Conservazione IT519006 Alto Merse (Toscana meridionale) (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea)

Ninety-two species of Lepidoptera Rhopalocera (Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea) were found in the “Monte Labbro” Reserve (Arcidosso, Grosseto, southern Tuscany) during research in 2000-2003. The lepidopteran fauna is mainly composed of subnemoral species (60%) in respect to habitat, skiophilous species (55.4%) in respect to sunlight, mesophilous species (54.3% and 77.2% respectively) in respect to temperature and ground-water preferences and prevalently stationary or low vagility species (72.8%). The finding of Pyrgus sidae, Carcharodus lavatherae, Thymelicus acteon, Zerynthia polyxena, Glaucopsyche alexis, Maculinea arion, Melanargia arge, Argynnis pandora, Libythea celtis and Apatura ilia, which are rare and/or threatened in Italy and Europe, was noteworthy, not to mention Hamearis lucina, Lycaeides abetonicus, Cupido alcetas, Cupido osiris, Nymphalis antiopa, Boloria dia and Chazara briseis, species with limited distributions in central Italy. The main threats to ropalocerans in the reserve are overgrazing and evolution of the vegetation into scrub and forest types. Xeric grassland on calcareous substrate, a priority habitat of European Community interest (EU Directive 92/43 [Semi-natural dry grasslands and scrubland facies on calcareous substrates (Festuco-Brometalia)] frequented by one third of the species living in the reserve, is particularly threatened. To safeguard these species and conserve their habitat, traditional forms of grazing should be continued with local races of animals, allowing them to graze in rotation throughout the area rather than overgraze some parts without exploiting others. The spread of scrub should be discouraged by cutting, so that it cannot evolve into forest.