• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.273-281
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• 2013

The number of mountain species that live in the highlands and are isolated from other populations will likely decline because of global warming. The present study was conducted to survey populations of 10 relict butterfly species living in the highlands of Mt. Hallasan, Jeju Island. Butterfly surveys were conducted for 6 years from 2007 to 2012 by using the line transect method. To test whether relict species occur in the lowlands, we surveyed butterflies at 2 reference sites in the lowlands in 2012. All the 10 relict species were observed at the highland sites, whereas they were not observed at the 2 lowland sites. Majority of the relict species surveyed are relatively abundant, and the stability of their populations did not differ from that of other butterfly species. When we analyzed the annual change in populations, compared to other species the relict species did not show any difference in population change. Hence, the influence of climate change is not yet apparent on the populations of relict butterfly species. We evaluated the vulnerability of each relict species on the basis of our results and occurrence data from South Korea.