02808nas a2200169 4500008004100000245009300041210006900134490000700203520223800210653001702448653003302465653001302498653002702511100002702538700002302565856005002588 2006 eng d00aPrime Butterfly Areas of Europe: an initial selection of priority sites for conservation0 aPrime Butterfly Areas of Europe an initial selection of priority0 v103 a

The Red Data Book of European Butterflies, published in 1999, showed that butterflies have declined
seriously across Europe and that 71 of the 576 species are threatened (12% of the total) either because of
their extreme rarity or rapid decline. Many more species were shown to be declining in substantial parts of
their range. A follow up project was conducted in 2002–3 to identify Prime Butterfly Areas (PBAs) in
Europe where conservation should be targeted as a priority. Due to constraints of time and resources, this
concentrated on identifying the most important (prime) areas for 34 target species, using a network of
national compilers. The book gives details of 431 areas covering 1.8% of the land surface of Europe, and
shows that target butterflies are declining in one quarter of PBAs, indicating that breeding habitats are
continuing to deteriorate even though many are protected by national designation. Chief threats are from
agricultural intensification, afforestation, abandonment of traditional practices, and isolation. We make
nine recommendations: (1) Produce detailed descriptions of the PBAs within each country and protect all
PBAs under national law; (2) Protect PBAs under relevant international EU law (e.g. EU Habitats and
Species Directive); (3) Provide adequate protection of PBAs in non EU countries; (4) Ensure sound habitat
management within PBAs and sympathetic management in surrounding areas; (5) Take measures to
conserve the wider environment and whole landscapes within and surrounding PBAs in order to sustain
viable metapopulations; (6) Monitor populations of target species and conduct research to identify
appropriate habitat management techniques. (7) Revise pan-European legislation to take account of the
new information provided in the Red Data Book of European butterflies (e.g. Bern Convention and the EU
Habitats and Species Directive); (8) Conduct a more comprehensive review of Important Butterfly Areas in
Europe as soon as possible; (9) Keep the list of Prime Butterfly Areas up-to-date (e.g. via the internet).

10aconservation10aImportant biodiversity areas10ared list10aThreatened butterflies1 avan Swaay, Chris, A.M.1 aWarren, Martin, S. uhttps://lepidopteragr.myspecies.info/node/70703386nas a2200289 4500008004100000245013000041210006900171490000700240520249000247653001602737653001702753653001502770653000802785653001702793653002002810653001602830653000902846653001402855653002502869653003402894653002202928653001302950100002802963700002802991700002703019856005003046 2016 eng d00aKaryosystematics and molecular taxonomy of the anomalous blue butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from the Balkan Peninsula0 aKaryosystematics and molecular taxonomy of the anomalous blue bu0 v103 a

The Balkan Peninsula represents one of the hottest biodiversity spots in Europe. However, the invertebrate
fauna of this region is still insufficiently investigated, even in respect of such well-studied organisms as
Lepidoptera. Here we use a combination of chromosomal, molecular and morphological markers to rearrange
the group of so-called anomalous blue butterflies (also known as ‘brown complex’ of the subgenus
Agrodiaetus Hübner, [1822] and as the Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) admetus (Esper, 1783) species group)
and to reveal its cryptic taxonomic structure. We demonstrate that P. aroaniensis (Brown, 1976) is not as
widespread in the Balkans as was previously thought. In fact, it has a dot-like distribution range restricted
to the Peloponnese Peninsula in South Greece. Polyommatus orphicus Kolev, 2005 is not as closely related
to the Turkish species P. dantchenkoi (Lukhtanov & Wiemers, 2003) as was supposed earlier. Instead, it
is a Balkan endemic represented by two subspecies: P. orphicus orphicus (Bulgaria) and P. orphicus eleniae
Coutsis & De Prins, 2005 (Northern Greece). Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830) is represented in the
Balkans by an endemic subspecies P. ripartii pelopi. The traditionally recognized P. admetus (Esper, 1783) is
shown to be a heterogeneous complex and is divided into Polyommatus admetus sensu stricto (the Balkans
and west Turkey) and P. yeranyani (Dantchenko & Lukhtanov, 2005) (east Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Iran). Polyommatus nephohiptamenos (Brown & Coutsis, 1978) is confirmed to be a species with a dotlike
distribution range in Northern Greece. Finally, from Central Greece (Timfristos and Parnassos moun-tains) we describe Polyommatus timfristos Lukhtanov, Vishnevskaya & Shapoval, sp. n. which differs by its

haploid chromosome number (n=38) from the closely related and morphologically similar P. aroaniensis
(n=47-48) and P. orphicus (n=41-42). We provide chromosomal evidence for three separate south Balkan
Pleistocene refugia (Peloponnesse, Central Greece and Northern Greece/South Bulgaria) and stress the
biogeographic importance of Central Greece as a place of diversification. Then we argue that the data
obtained have direct implications for butterfly karyology, taxonomy, biogeography and conservation.

10aAgrodiaetus10abiodiversity10achromosome10aCOI10aconservation10acryptic species10aDNA barcode10aITS210akaryotype10amitochondrial marker10aPolyommatus timfristos sp. n.10aprotected species10ared list1 aVishnevskaya, Maria, S.1 aLukhtanov, Vladimir, A.1 aSaifitdinova, Alsu, F. uhttps://lepidopteragr.myspecies.info/node/70403346nas a2200289 4500008004100000245013000041210006900171490000700240520245000247653001602697653001702713653001502730653000802745653001702753653002002770653001602790653000902806653001402815653002502829653003402854653002202888653001302910100002802923700002702951700002802978856005003006 2016 eng d00aKaryosystematics and molecular taxonomy of the anomalous blue butterflies (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from the Balkan Peninsula0 aKaryosystematics and molecular taxonomy of the anomalous blue bu0 v103 a

The Balkan Peninsula represents one of the hottest biodiversity spots in Europe. However, the invertebrate
fauna of this region is still insufficiently investigated, even in respect of such well-studied organisms as
Lepidoptera. Here we use a combination of chromosomal, molecular and morphological markers to rearrange
the group of so-called anomalous blue butterflies (also known as ‘brown complex’ of the subgenus
Agrodiaetus Hübner, [1822] and as the Polyommatus (Agrodiaetus) admetus (Esper, 1783) species group)
and to reveal its cryptic taxonomic structure. We demonstrate that P. aroaniensis (Brown, 1976) is not as
widespread in the Balkans as was previously thought. In fact, it has a dot-like distribution range restricted
to the Peloponnese Peninsula in South Greece. Polyommatus orphicus Kolev, 2005 is not as closely related
to the Turkish species P. dantchenkoi (Lukhtanov & Wiemers, 2003) as was supposed earlier. Instead, it
is a Balkan endemic represented by two subspecies: P. orphicus orphicus (Bulgaria) and P. orphicus eleniae
Coutsis & De Prins, 2005 (Northern Greece). Polyommatus ripartii (Freyer, 1830) is represented in the
Balkans by an endemic subspecies P. ripartii pelopi. The traditionally recognized P. admetus (Esper, 1783) is
shown to be a heterogeneous complex and is divided into Polyommatus admetus sensu stricto (the Balkans
and west Turkey) and P. yeranyani (Dantchenko & Lukhtanov, 2005) (east Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Iran). Polyommatus nephohiptamenos (Brown & Coutsis, 1978) is confirmed to be a species with a dotlike
distribution range in Northern Greece. Finally, from Central Greece (Timfristos and Parnassos moun-tains) we describe Polyommatus timfristos Lukhtanov, Vishnevskaya & Shapoval, sp. n. which differs by its haploid chromosome number (n=38) from the closely related and morphologically similar P. aroaniensis (n=47-48) and P. orphicus (n=41-42). We provide chromosomal evidence for three separate south Balkan Pleistocene refugia (Peloponnesse, Central Greece and Northern Greece/South Bulgaria) and stress the biogeographic importance of Central Greece as a place of diversification. Then we argue that the data obtained have direct implications for butterfly karyology, taxonomy, biogeography and conservation.

10aAgrodiaetus10abiodiversity10achromosome10aCOI10aconservation10acryptic species10aDNA barcode10aITS210akaryotype10amitochondrial marker10aPolyommatus timfristos sp. n.10aprotected species10ared list1 aVishnevskaya, Maria, S.1 aSaifitdinova, Alsu, F.1 aLukhtanov, Vladimir, A. uhttps://lepidopteragr.myspecies.info/node/694