The third in a trilogy of global overviews of conservation of diverse and ecologically important insect groups. The first two were Beetles in Conservation (2010) and Hymenoptera and Conservation (2012). Each has different priorities and emphases that collectively summarise much of the progress and purpose of invertebrate conservation. Much of the foundation of insect conservation has been built on concerns for Lepidoptera, particularly butterflies as the most popular and best studied of all insect groups. The long-accepted worth of butterflies for conservation has led to elucidation of much of the current rationale of insect species conservation, and to definition and management of their critical resources, with attention to the intensively documented British fauna ‘leading the world’ in this endeavour. In Lepidoptera and Conservation, various themes are treated through relevant examples and case histories, and sufficient background given to enable non-specialist access. Intended for not only entomologists but conservation managers and naturalists due to its readable approach to the subject.

The book contains extended abstracts on a wide variety of issues concerning the ecology and conservation of Large Blue butterflies of the genus Maculinea. It mainly consists of results of the EU funded research project MacMan (Maculinea butterflies of the Habitats Directive and European Red List as indicators and tools for habitat conservation and management; www.macman-project.de). They have been presented at a Conference held in Leipzig, 5-9th of December, 2005. Sections covered are: Maculinea as indicators; Functional and trophic relations in Maculinea systems; Population genetics, chemistry and physiology of Maculinea and Myrmica ants; Conservation and management for Maculinea. Keynote speakers at the Maculinea part of the conference are: Jeremy Thomas (UK), David Nash & Jacobus Boomsma (Denmark), Konrad Fiedler (Austria), Piotr Nowicki (Poland) and Thomas Hovestadt (Germany).

Due to the attractiveness of butterflies, and their usefulness as model systems for biological questions, there has been a considerable amount of material written on butterfly biology, largely in Europe. This book synthesizes all relevant and recent knowledge in the field, which is a must for those making use of this taxonomic group as a model system. It is divided into five major parts which deal with habitat use, population ecology and genetics, evolutionary ecology, distribution and phylogeny, and global change and conservation. There are growing numbers of scientific projects and networks in Europe in which the use of butterflies as tools and targets for conservation is central, and application of knowledge is closely related to European cultural landscapes. However, the chapters can also be applied to a wide geographic scope. Written by an international team of experts, this timely book is suitable for students, researchers and enthusiasts.