hankyoreh

eumenis autonoe (Esper butterfly)

"The mellicta britomartis butterfly was seen almost everywhere before, but it has become a rarity since the 1990s," said Kim Seong-su, a vice chairman of an academic association that studies butterflies. He cited as a reason for their disappearance the "abrupt environmental changes due to global warming."

Kwon Tae-seong, a researcher at the Korea National Arboretum, said that nymphalis xanthomelas was one of the nation’s most prominent butterflies, quoting from a report conducted in 1958, but in a report covering the years between 1998 and 2005, not one example of the species was recorded as being found.

The two species - mellicta britomartis (Assmann’s fritillary) and nymphalis xanthomelas (Yellow-legged Tortoisehell) - are butterflies mostly seen in northern areas of the Korean peninsula.

Quite a different story is occurring in the southern part of the country. The pseudozizeeria maha (Pale Grass Blue butterfly), which was once mostly found only in the southern part of the peninsula, is now seen frequently in Gwangneung and Paju in the northern part of the country. A team of professors led by Park Gyu-taek of Gangwon National University caught ten species of butterflies in August on Daecheong Island off the northwest coast of South Korea, all of which have rarely been seen on the peninsula before. The butterflies were from such subtropical areas as Malaysia and Sumatra.

Another case of an alteration in the natural rhythms of these species is found with the dendrolimus spectatbilis (Butler moth), known to lay eggs only once a year. Since the 1990s, however, many cases were found in Gyeonggi and North and South Chungcheong provinces in which the moth has bred twice a year.

What is happening to these butterflies and moths? Experts cautiously say that they are the first victims of climate change, since they are highly susceptible to temperature shifts - acting as canaries in a coal mine.

Park Hae-cheol, a professor of the National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, cited aporia crataegi (Black-veined White butterfly) as an example of the phenomenon. The species, which is still witnessed in the eastern part of China, has gone almost extinct here, despite the existence of its staple diet, such as wild apricot. He ascribed their disappearance to climate changes occurring on the Korean peninsula.

Of 254 butterfly species found in Korea, 238 species came from such northern areas as Manchuria, Russia’s eastern regions, and northern sections of the Korean peninsula. Many of these northerly species including the eumenis autonoe (Esper butterfly), the aporia crataegi and parnassius bremeri bremer (Red-spotted apollo butterfly) are disappearing here, mainly due to climate change, destruction of their habitat and excessive butterfly catching.

A report cited by Kwon Tae-seong showed that 42 out of 195 butterfly species which were observed between 1950 and 1970 have disappeared, while 36 new species have been found. The butterfly species once indigenous to the northern part of the peninsula have mostly disappeared. This growing number of "stray" butterfly species from more southerly climes is yet another sign of ongoing temperature changes, experts say. According to a report by Kim Seong-su of the butterfly association, there were only eight stray butterfly species from southern areas found in 1997 across the nation; by 2002, this number had increased to 15 on Jeju Island alone.

Some argue that there is nothing wrong with the phenomenon, since the number of butterflies from southern areas balances out the falling numbers from northern-based species.

But Park Hae-cheol calls this notion far from the truth. Extinction of one species could have a far-reaching impact on food cycles, thus imposing a threat to the survival of many other animals. Also, entry of a new species could also promote chaos in the ecosystem as a whole, he said.

Many European nations have for a long time been conducting studies on butterflies and their relation to climate change. Kim Seong-su said, "Britain has accumulated data on the linkage for more than 100 years, and is now using this research in studying climate change." He added that South Korea needs to follow suit by encouraging butterfly lovers to work together in collecting related data on the nation’s winged messengers.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]