Frugivorous butterflies from the Atlantic Forest in Southern Brazil (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

Abstract

Abstract: This study aimed to present a list of the species of frugivorous butterflies occurring in Atlantic Forests, in the Conservation Units: National Forest of Chapecó (FLONA), Ecological Station of Mata Preta (ESEC) and State Park of Araucárias (PAEAR) and adjacent forest fragments, located in the western region of the state of Santa Catarina. Three samplings were conducted between December 2017 and March 2018, totaling 24 days of collection in each sampling area. Van Someren-Rydon traps were used to capture frugivorous butterflies. There were 4,231 frugivorous butterflies belonging to four subfamilies, 12 tribes and 49 species. In all, 37 species of frugivorous butterflies were sampled in FLONA and 29 in adjacent forest fragments. In ESEC, 29 species and 33 in adjacent forest fragments. In PAEAR, 33 species and 28 in adjacent forest fragments. Of the total species registered, 15 species are new records for the state of Santa Catarina and 11 are new records for the western region of the state. The most abundant species for FLONA were: Manataria hercyna (Hübner, 1821) and Hermeuptychia sp. In ESEC, were Hermeuptychia sp. and Yphthimoides ordinaria (Freitas, Kaminski & Mielke, 2012). In PAEAR, greater abundance of Forsterinaria quantius (Godart, 1824) and Eryphanes reevesii (Doubleday, 1849) were verified. For the adjacent forest fragments to Conservation Units, there was a greater abundance of Hermeuptychia sp., Moneuptychia soter (Butler, 1877), Morpho epistrophus (Fabricius, 1796) e Forsterinaria quantius (Godart, 1824). Satyrinae presented higher richness (S = 34) and abundance (90.58%) in all areas sampled. The rarefaction and extrapolation curves for the Conservation Units and adjacent forest fragments showed a greater rise in the FLONA and PAEAR sampling units and their adjacent forest fragments. The estimated sampling coverage for Conservation Unit and forest fragments was above 97%. The richness calculated through the Jackknife 1 estimator, for the FLONA and PAEAR samplings, presented a value of 50.75 and 37.09, respectively. The fauna of frugivorous butterflies from this region, first investigated in areas of Conservation Units, showed to be expressive and well represented in the Atlantic Forest Biome, indicating its potential as a refuge for biodiversity.