An electronic circuit realization of a modified Lorenz system, which is multiplier-free, is described. The well-known butterfly chaotic attractor is experimentally observed verifying that the proposed modified system does capture the essential dynamics of the original Lorenz system. Furthermore, we clarify that the butterfly attractor is a compound structure obtained by merging together two sim...

1. We describe the pattern of colonization of suitable, but currently empty, habitat by a host butterfly and two specialist parasitoids living in a highly fragmented landscape. 2. Using survey data collected over 8 years, field sampling and small-scale experiments we show that the ability of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) to colonize new habitat is intermediate between tha...

We examined how butterfly species richness is affected by human impact and elevation, and how species ranges are distributed along the elevational gradient (200-2700 m) in the Isère Department (French Alps). A total of 35,724 butterfly observations gathered in summer (May-September) between 1995 and 2015 were analyzed. The number of estimated species per 100-m elevational band was fitted to the...

Butterfly species used for live exhibition differ in life span, encounter rate, behavior, and cost. By knowing which species are more cost-effective, exhibitors can customize their butterfly imports and purchase butterfly species that provide the best return on their investment. We used mark-recapture techniques to estimate mean life span and encounter rates for 39 butterfly species commonly pu...

Genetically engineered maize (Zea mays) containing insecticidal endotoxin proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) delta-endotoxin proteins has been adopted widely in the Midwestern United States. The proteins are toxic to several lepidopteran species and because a variety of maize tissues, including pollen, may express the endotoxins, the probability of exposure to nontarget species, includin...

European populations of the Large Blue Butterfly Maculinea arion have experienced severe declines in the last decades, especially in the northern part of the species’ range. This endangered lycaenid butterfly needs two resources for development: flower buds of specific plants (Thymus spp., Origanum vulgare), on which young caterpillars briefly feed, and red ants of the genus Myrmica, whose nest...

Parasitoids are insects (mainly Hymenoptera and Diptera) whose larvae develop by feeding on the bodies of other arthropods (mainly immature insects) and the adults are free living. They are of immense importance in practically all terrestrial ecosystems because of their impact on the population levels of their hosts. In contrast to the considerable attention paid to European butterflies their p...