Butterfly fauna according to FFH guidelines in Gesäuse National Park — Quendel Antt Blueling (Phengaris arion)

In June and July 2016, the still pending mapping of the FFH-protected butterfly species Quendel-Antbläuling (Phengaris arion) was completed. It was possible to collect enough data for an assessment of the conservation status. The already well-known good occurrence in the Kalktal could be confirmed, further in the Wandaubauernkar (already mentioned briefly at Koschuh 2012) and in the Plattental were added. A total of 59 evidence for the area was provided. The deposits extend over the southern slopes of the Tamischbach Tower and the Tifli Wall, with mainly avalanche channels being inhabited. Thus, this habitat is only exposed to natural influences. Unfortunately, an egg search in the Kalktal was unsuccessful. Thus, it was not possible to determine precisely whether thyme or oregano or both are used as caterpillar feed plants, since both are common in the area. A search of butterflyworms in the host iron nests was considered unfavorable due to the high effort and the low chances of success. During the ascents, attempts were made to capture habitat parameters in order to be able to describe them in more detail. Based on these parameters, the state of the habitat was then evaluated. The conservation status of the Quendel ant blue (Phengaris arion) was classified as “good”.