BELTED BEAUTY (LYCIA ZONARIA BRITANNICA)

BELTED BEAUTY (LYCIA ZONARIA BRITANNICA)

LOCAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN

Links to associated HAPs

Coastal sand dune

Ecology

Appearance
Adult male belted beauty moths are winged and can be found during spring flying in both day and night. Females however cannot fly as their wings are to small (only 2mm) and are only able to crawl very short distances during their adult life.

Habitat
In Britain the belted beauty is confined to coastal grasslands. In England the populations occur in early successional sparsely grassed sand dunes rather than the more grassy dunes favoured by the Welsh and some of the Scottish populations.

Food
In Lancashire it is believed that the caterpillars eat mainly birds foot trefoil and kidney vetch preferring the flowers to the leaves. Other plants used in the North-West England are plantains, clovers, yarrow, burnet rose and creeping willow. The caterpillars burrow into soft, dry sand in summer to pupate and emerge the following year. Some caterpillars are thought to delay emergence for a further year if weather conditions are not suitable.

Life Style
* The males are usually on wing in March and April and probably use scent to find females.
* The females then lay the eggs on a variety of different plants.
* It is believed that the caterpillars emerge and begin to feed in May and June.

Current Status
The belted beauty is very localised, being confined to the West coast of Scotland and the coasts of North Wales and North West England. In Britain there are two sub-species, with the Welsh and English populations known as L. z. britannica, and the Scottish populations known as L.z. atlantica. Scottish populations are widespread in the Hebrides and on the Ardnamurchan peninsula on the Scottish mainland. L.zonaria britannica is found on the Wirral peninsula, Sunderland Point, Lancashire and at Morfa Conwy, Caernarvonshire. Historically the moth was also recorded in the Sefton Coast, Flintshire and Glamorgan. The English and Welsh populations have declined due to the loss of habitat.

On the North Wirral shore (the only confirmed English site) the numbers of adults have declined over the post 20 years due to habitat destruction at Derby Pool following a severe storm and habitat destruction at Meols. Since 1994 recording has shown the number to be more or less static. The habitat is within the North Wirral Coastal Park.

In Great Britain the subspecies Lycia zonaria britannica is classified as RARE. It is a national priority species on the short list for biodiversity conservation.

Threats

* Successional change in vegetation.
* Land development (golf courses, car parking, etc).
* Trampling pressure from increased access to sensitive dune systems.
* Low dispersal ability precludes the re-colonisation of fragmented areas of suitable habitat.
* Enrichment of sites through dog excrement.
* Horse riding and motorbike use within the Park.

How are we helping to conserve the Belted Beauty in the Cheshire region?

* Butterfly Conservation, Wirral Ranger Service and Ranger Service Volunteers undertake annual monitoring.
* Butterfly Conservation carries out captive breeding.

Objectives, Targets and Actions

The objectives, targets and actions to help conserve the belted beauty in the Cheshire region can be found on the Biodiversity Action Reporting System (BARS) along with full details of our progress so far.

How to find out more about the Belted Beauty

Butterfly Conservation Action for Threatened Moths Project - www.butterflyconservation.org
UK Moths - http://ukmoths.org.uk/show.php?bf=1928
UK BAP for Belted Beauty - www.ukbap.org.uk/UKPlans.aspx?ID=430

Contact details

David Hinde, Butterfly Conservation Cheshire Branch
0151 648 3887
National Lead Partner Countryside Council for Wales
National Lead Contact Mark Parsons, Butterfly Conservation

References & Glossary
HMSO (1995): Biodiversity: The UK Steering Group Report, Volume 2: Action Plans, London.
HMSO (1995): Biodiversity: The UK Steering Group Report, Volume 1: Meeting the Rio Challenge, London.
Young, M (1997) The Natural History of Moths. Poyser Natural History. London.
Emmet, A. M. and Heath, J. (Eds) (1992) The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland . Volume 7, Part 2. Harley Books. Colchester. P 234.
Skinner, B. (1998) The Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles. Second Edition. Viking. London. Pp61, Plate 14.