Phenotypic Variability of Aphantopus hyperantus and Coenonympha arcania (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in the Vicinity of the Middle Ural Copper Smelter. Part 1. Metal Content and Wing Length

Abstract

We have tested the hypotheses that the satyrs Aphantopus hyperantus and Coenonympha arcania accumulate metals in higher concentrations near the Middle Ural Copper Smelter than in the background area and that metal accumulation in the body of adult individuals is negatively correlated with the wing length but positively correlated with the fluctuating asymmetry of the wing length. We measured the length of the forewing and individual concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd in the body of adults captured at different distances from the copper smelter (Revda city, Russia). The metal content reaches very high levels, with Zn concentrations being higher than Cu and Pb concentrations by an order of magnitude and Cd concentration by two orders of magnitude. In both species, metal accumulation is higher in males than in females. Maximum concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Cd have been recorded near the smelter. The wing length either did not differ between the sites or was higher near the smelter. The statistically significant negative relationship between Cu concentrations and the wing length has been recorded only for females of one of the species (A. hyperantus). In both species, the fluctuating asymmetry of the wing length did not differ between samples from different sites and did not depend on metal concentrations at the individual level.