2023 Volume 74 Issue 1 Pages 17-35
A mark-release-recapture survey of adult Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow, Colias erate poliographus Motschulsky, 1860, was conducted in early winter and spring along the south-facing embankment of the Mibu River, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, over a distance of more than 2,000 m. A time-series analysis showed that the total number of individuals captured in spring was affected by mowing in October of the previous year. The number of recaptured females in spring was extremely small. In spring, 43% and 80% of all captured males and females were highly migratory. The lifespan of males was up to 23 days, during which time changes in behavior and age were observed. The relationship between the number of days that elapsed from initial capture to recapture was well expressed by an exponential function. The rate of decrease per day in the number of individuals captured was 22% for early winter males and females, 10% for spring males, and 14% for spring females. The high rate of decrease in early winter was estimated to be due to the high mortality rate. The average distance migrated daily by recaptured early winter males was more than twice that of spring males. The longest migration distance was at least 2,000 m for early winter males and approximately 1,300 m for spring males and females. With regard to migration on the embankment, early winter males and spring males tended to concentrate near the herb Vicia hirsuta and the flowering plant community.
