Checklist of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of an urban area of Caatinga-Atlantic Forest ecotone in Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The butterfly inventories carried out in urban landscapes in Bahia are still scarce. Urban areas with remnants of native vegetation in association with ornamental plants can provide several resources that are favorable for the development and shelter of various animal species, including insects, even with the high anthropization that occurs in these environments. In this work, we aim to investigate the urban fauna of butterflies at the Campus of the Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), an area of ​​Caatinga-Atlantic Forest ecotone located in the municipality of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. Monthly samplings were carried out with entomological net and standardized traps with different attractive baits, between May 2019 and January 2020, in addition to review of the material previously deposited at the Entomological Collection Prof. Johan Becker located at the Zoology Museum of the UEFS (MZFS). In total, 114 species of Papilionoidea were recorded, with Nymphalidae being the richest family (45 species), followed by Hesperiidae (32), Lycaenidae (21), Pieridae (10), Papilionidae (3) and Riodinidae (3). Thirteen species are new records for Bahia and eight species are new records for Northeast Brazil. The results demonstrate the extreme relevance of the conservation and preservation of urban green areas for the maintenance of butterflies species and, consequently, the associated insect fauna.