A species of butterfly that has been missing for 86 years has been rediscovered in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The mountain steppe frost moth (Lignyoptera thaumastaria) is only known from a few mountains in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro, said the Karlsruhe State Museum of Natural History. He lives above the tree line.
The moth was previously found in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina three times in the first half of the 20th century, most recently in 1937. It was detected once in Montenegro around 40 years ago. There was concern that the species might be extinct.
At the end of October, a group of experts – including butterfly expert Robert Trusch from the Karlsruhe Natural History Museum – set out to search for the butterfly in Bosnia. According to the museum, they found both females and males of the butterfly species there on the first night.
The females are flightless – which, according to experts, may be the reason why they survive strong autumn storms in the mountainous heights of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. “This means that the animals that are important for reproduction are not blown out of their habitat.” The species is also almost not attracted to artificial light. This is different for most other moth species.
