Lost butterfly species rediscovered
A species of butterfly that has been lost for 86 years has been rediscovered in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The mountain frost moth (Lignyoptera thaumastaria) is only known from a few mountains in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, according to the State Museum of Natural History in Karlsruhe. It lives above the tree line.
The moth was previously found in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina three times in the first half of the 20th century, most recently in 1937. It was recorded once in Montenegro around 40 years ago. There had been concerns that the species could be extinct.
At the end of October, a group of experts - including butterfly expert Robert Trusch from the Natural History Museum in Karlsruhe - set out to search for the butterfly in Bosnia. According to the museum, they found both females and males of the butterfly species there on the very first night.
The females are unable to fly - which, according to the experts, is probably the reason why they survive strong autumn storms in the mountainous regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. "This means that the animals, which are important for reproduction, are not blown away from their habitat." The species is also hardly attracted to artificial light. This is different for most other moth species.
Source: www.dpa.com
