Nature » Animated nature » Fauna
Fauna
Insects
Insects are the most numerous group of animals but in the area of the Park only a few chosen groups of insects were examined. That is why the information presented here are rather selective but they will be completed with time.
Butterflies Rhopalocera
One of the groups of insects that were examined are butterflies Rhopalocera. The research and observation which were carried out after the foundation of the Magura National Park showed the occurrence of 81 species. Among them there are species which are considered to be endangered and more attention should be paid to them. These are Clouded Apollo Parnassius mnemosyne, Poplar Admiral Limenitis populi, Carcharodus floccifera, Neptis rivularis. Slightly less endangered species both in the Park and in Poland are: Swallowtail Papilio machaon, Large Copper Lycaena dispar, Maculinea nausithous, Lesser Purple Emperor Apatura ilia, False Heath Fritillary Melitaea diamina.
Swallowtail (MNP arch.)
Purple Emperor (phot. Slawomir Basista)
Large Copper and Maculinea nausithous are under threat of extinction. It should be emphasized that C. floccifera was found in the Carpathians for the first time, as well as Large Copper in the Beskid Niski Mts.
Nymphalidae butterflies (phot. Joanna Pawelec)
Bumblebees
There are 15 species of bumblebees (Bombus) and 6 species of cuckoo bumblebees (Psithyrus) observed in the Park. The first group makes 50% of all species known in Poland, the second one - 80%. The most numerous species are Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius, B. lucorum, B. pascuorum, B. ruderarius. 6 species are considered to be endangered: Large Garden Bumblebee B. ruderatus, B. soroeensis proteus, B. soroeensis soroeensis, Short-haired Bumblebee B. subterraneus and B. veteranus . These insects are very important for the functioning of the plant communities of the Magura National Park as they pollinate about 80 plant species altogether. It should be also mentioned that every species of bumblebees is protected in Poland.