To conserve the population of a hesperiid butterfly, Leptalina unicolor, inhabiting the protected areas of Jaeyaksan, we provide ecological information on their behavior and propose habitat conservation measures, such as the creation of alternative habitats based on comprehensive information. The behavioral study used a method of re-capture after releasing the butterfly with enamel marks on the wings. Adult behaviors were shown in four patterns: flying, settling on a plant, nectar absorption, and water absorption. Both males and females had the highest proportion of flight movement overall; however, males had a slightly higher proportion of flight movement. As for duration, females spent more time settling on plants to select spawning sites, and males seemed to take a longer time for water absorption activities, to absorb minerals needed to form the spermatophore. The average travel distance of butterflies was 27.5 m for females and 46.7 m for males, with daily activity ranges from 11.2 m to 43.8 m, and 21.4 to 57.6 m, respectively. The most important condition to preserve the habitat of Leptalina unicolor is to maintain the community of Miscanthus sinensis, a food plant. Additionally, because this butterfly has a high rate of water absorption activities, wetlands should be maintained.

In this study, we investigated the spatial range, distribution pattern, temporal appearance, sex ratio, seasonal pattern, and size of the population of Leptalina unicolor locally inhabiting the wetland protection area in the Jaeyaksan Mountain. We found that the butterfly was distributed across four areas at 750 m above sea level and in an area of 96,000 . in the southeastern slope of the mountain. The discontinuous distribution of the butterflies in the meadow. According to our survey conducted from 2012 to 2014, L. unicolor occurred in May (spring) and July (summer) each year, with the male population more than three times higher than that of the female population. The population size estimated using the mark and recapture method on the back of the hind wing in the two years was as follows: 877±502 and 1243±800 individuals in the spring and summer of 2012, respectively, and 783±429 and 506±365 individuals in the spring and summer of 2014, respectively, suggesting no specific seasonal pattern. The findings of this study are expected to be useful for the conservation of the populations and habitats of L. unicolor, which are currently distributed locally due to a decrease in population size.

Leptalina unicolor is a hesperiid butterfly with a restricted distribution in Korea, Japan, China, and Russia. Recently, the number of individuals is rapidly decreased in their natural habitat. This skipper has been classified as an endangered species in the ‘Red Data Book’, and according to an IUCN report, is under threat of extinction. Therefore, the conservation and restoration of this species both locally and globally are urgently needed. A population of L. unicolor was found in an unknown habitat in Jaeyaksan, Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea in 2011, and these individuals were used in the present study. Here, the life cycle, characteristics of each instar larva and breeding information were determined by breeding L. unicolor in the laboratory from 2012 to 2015. The results indicated that L. unicolor occurs twice a year and over-winter as a fifth instar larva. A springform female individual laid 17.25±5.52 eggs, and summer form laid 29.00±5.86 eggs; it takes 53.79±0.73 days for L. unicolor to develop from eggs to adults. After spawning, the eggs developed in 6.16±0.18 days, and larvae developed in 33.71±0.58 days; the pre-pupal stage to emergence required 14.22±0.31 days. Based on these results, we presented effective breeding information for the restoration and proliferation of the species. Several candidate plants species have been reported in the literature as a food source for L. unicolor, but we found that the preferred diet this butterfly was Miscanthus sinensis. The larvae could move easily when their preferred diet was planted in 80% the cage floor area Year-round breeding was achieved by placing overwintering individuals in low temperatures in autumn. To our knowledge, this is the first study to the biology of L. unicolor in Korea, and the results of this study could be used as preliminary information for the conservation and restoration of this species in its natural habitat.