Eduardo Carneiro

Biology and external morphology of immature stages of the butterfly, Diaethria candrena candrena

Abstract The biology and the external morphology of immature stages of Diaethria candrena candrena (Godart) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Biblidinae) are described. Immature D. c. candrena found on Allophylus spp. (Sapindaceae) were collected in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil and reared in the laboratory. Morphological descriptions and illustrations are given, based on observations using electronic, stereoscopic, and optic microscopes, the latter two attached to camera lucida. Results are compared and discussed with immature stages of other species of Biblidinae described to date.

Lepidopterofauna (Papilionoidea e Hesperioidea) do Parque Estadual do Chandless e arredores, Acre, Brasil

Given the absence of Lepidoptera inventories in the State of Acre and its scarcity in the Brazilian Amazon forest, this study aimed to list the species of Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea present in the Parque Estadual do Chandless and surroundings. The access to the region is complicated and it has no infrastructure for scientific research. During 14 days, the butterflies were collected with entomological nets, traps and Ahrenholzs technique in different environments in the park and its surroundings. A total of 482 species were identified, none of them present in red lists of endangered species. It is expected a significantly greater number of species after the addition of new collections in other seasons, as the Jacknife 1 estimate does not reach its asymptote, or as compared to inventories in nearby areas that list nearly 1700 species after a greater sampling effort.

Community structure of skipper butterflies (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae) along elevational gradients in Brazilian Atlantic forest reflects vegetation type rather than altitude.

Species turnover across elevational gradients has matured into an important paradigm of community ecology. Here, we tested whether ecological and phylogenetic structure of skipper butterfly assemblages is more strongly structured according to altitude or vegetation type along three elevation gradients of moderate extent in Serra do Mar, Southern Brazil. Skippers were surveyed along three different mountain transects, and data on altitude and vegetation type of every collection site were recorded. NMDS ordination plots were used to assess community turnover and the influence of phylogenetic distance between species on apparent community patterns. Ordinations based on ecological similarity (Bray-Curtis index) were compared to those based on phylogenetic distance measures (MPD and MNTD) derived from a supertree. In the absence of a well-resolved phylogeny, various branch length transformation methods were applied together with four different null models, aiming to assess if results were confounded by low-resolution trees. Species composition as well as phylogenetic community structure of skipper butterflies were more prominently related to vegetation type instead of altitude per se. Phylogenetic distances reflected spatial community patterns less clearly than species composition, but revealed a more distinct fauna of monocot feeders associated with grassland habitats, implying that historical factors have played a fundamental role in shaping species composition across elevation gradients. Phylogenetic structure of community turned out to be a relevant additional tool which was even superior to identify faunal contrasts between forest and grassland habitats related to deep evolutionary splits. Since endemic skippers tend to occur in grassland habitats in the Serra do Mar, inclusion of phylogenetic diversity may also be important for conservation decisions.

Immature stages of the Neotropical cracker butterfly, Hamadryas epinome.

Abstract The external morphology of the immature stages of Hamadryas epinome (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1867) (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae : Biblidinae) is described, including drawings, photos and scanning electron micrographs.

Butterfly communities respond to structural changes in forest restorations and regeneration in lowland Atlantic Forest, Paraná, Brazil

The Atlantic forest is one of the most diverse biomes on Earth but human activities are transforming this ecosystem into one of the most endangered. Most remnant old-growth rainforest is embedded within a mosaic of regenerating forest, tree plantations, pastures, and agricultural production. This has left a large percentage of the region’s endemic species threatened with extinction. Butterflies are considered as sensitive indicators of ecological conditions, especially in the Atlantic forest. This community can provide a window into animal response to restoration and how recovering habitats are used by native animal communities. The primary goal of this paper was to determine if butterfly communities respond to measures of structural recovery in naturally regenerating and re-forested pastures, and if this response increases the similarity of recovering butterfly communities relative to those of intact forests. Butterfly communities were sampled using two sampling methodologies, passive bait trapping and timed meander counts. These data sets were combined and correlated to assessment of habitat structure. We found that butterfly communities respond rapidly to structural changes in habitats as forest structure recovers on abandoned and restored pastures. While many species of mature forest inhabiting butterflies use regenerating forests as habitat, our young forests also retained an almost intact community of ruderal pasture inhabiting butterflies as well, indicating that these habitats retain many features of highly disturbed pastures. We suggest that measures of beta-diversity, which can be used to assess convergence in community structure, are far superior to the alpha-diversity measures that are typically used for assessing restoration recovery.

The Lepidoptera associated with forestry crop species in Brazil: a historical approach.

Despite the long history of forestry activity in Brazil and its importance to the national economy, there is still much disorder in the information regarding pests of forestry species. Considering the importance of the entomological knowledge for the viability of silvicultural management, this work aimed to gather information on the species of Lepidoptera associated with forestry crops within Brazil using a historical approach. Through a literature review, all registered species of Lepidoptera related to forestry crops in Brazil from 1896 to 2010 were identified. The historical evaluation was based on the comparison of the number of published articles, species richness, and community similarities of the Lepidoptera and their associated forest crops, grouped in 10-year samples. A total of 417 occurrences of Lepidoptera associated with forestry species were recorded, from which 84 species are related with 40 different forestry crops. The nocturnal Lepidoptera were dominant on the records, with Eacles imperialis magnifica Walker as the most frequent pest species cited. Myrtaceae was the most frequent plant family, with Cedrela fissilis as the most cited forestry crop species. A successional change in both Lepidoptera species and their host plants was observed over the decades. The richness of lepidopteran pest species increased over the years, unlike the richness of forestry crop species. This increase could be related to the inefficient enforcement of sanitary barriers, to the increase of monoculture areas, and to the adaptability of native pests to exotic forestry species used in monoculture stands.

Os Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera, Hesperioidea) da RPPN Klagesi, Santo Antônio do Tauá, Pará, Brasil: nova contribuição para o conhecimento da biodiversidade da área de endemismo Belém

The region of Belem is one of the best known area of the Amazon Forest, given its scientific explorations since the 18th century. However much of the informations about the biological diversity of the region is scattered at several museums around the world, thus making it harder to access and to propose biogeographical hypothesis.. Aiming to contribute to the knowledge of lepidopterological diversity of the region, the present study lists 225 species of Hesperiidae present at Private Natural Reserve Klagesi registered during approximately 24 years of sporadically collecting, although more frequently on the past decade. One hundred and thirteen species not yet registered in endemisms region of Belem are added, which makes it the richest of all Amazonian endemism areas in Brazil. However, the Amazonian skippers are so poorly known that this richness index can only be used for effort comparisons instead of biogeographical or ecological inferences. Three of the endemism regions still lack information about their diversity (Xingu, Napo and Imeri), while others are known basically from one or a few inventories. Therefore, focused sampling at those unknown areas or gathering information at international museums are indispensable strategies to obtain a better knowledge of Amazonian butterfly diversity so they can be used for biogeographical studies and conservation management.

The Neotropical genus Ginungagapus gen. nov. (Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae, Moncini): phylogenetic position and taxonomic review

A taxonomic and phylogenetic study based on morphological characters revealed the type species of the genus Lucida Evans, 1955, Lucida lucia (Capronnier, 1874) to be paraphyletic to other species of the genus. As a result, a new genus, Ginungagapus gen. nov., is erected including four species previously placed in Lucida: Ginungagapus schmithi (Bell, 1930) comb. nov., Ginungagapus bocus (Bell, 1947) comb. nov., Ginungagapus ranesus (Schaus, 1902) comb. nov., and Ginungagapus rogan (Evans, 1955) comb. nov.; and four new species are added: Ginungagapus awarreni, sp. nov., Ginungagapus tangerinii, sp. nov., Ginungagapus fiedleri, sp. nov. and Ginungagapus brasilia, sp. nov. The new genus is taxonomically revised, genitalia are illustrated, except of the female of G. rogan (Evans, 1955) and of the male of G. brasilia, sp. nov., which are still unknown. An identification key is provided.

A new species of Wahydra from Ecuador (Hesperiidae, Hesperiinae, Anthoptini)

Recent taxonomic studies on the genus Wahydra Steinhauser, 1991, have described five new species in the past two years, from high elevations in the Andes Mountains. A markedly distinct species of Wahydra is herein described and illustrated based on a single male specimen from Ecuadorian Andes, Wahydra graslieae A. Warren, Carneiro Dolibaina, sp. nov. The new species is compared with other species of Wahydra, as well as with the somewhat similar species Lerema viridis (Bell, 1942) and Tigasis viridenex (Weeks, 1901).

Phenological patterns of Spodoptera Guenée, 1852 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is more affected by ENSO than seasonal factors and host plant availability in a Brazilian Savanna

The identification of factors responsible for the population dynamics is fundamental for pest management, since losses can reach 18% of annual production. Besides regular seasonal environmental factors and crop managements, additional supra-annual meteorological phenomena can also affect population dynamics, although its relevance has been rarely investigated. Among crop pests, Spodoptera stands out due to its worldwide distribution, high degree of polyphagy, thus causing damages in several crops in the world. Aiming to distinguish the relevance of different factors shaping population dynamics of Spodoptera in an ecosystem constituted of dry and rainy seasons, the current study used circular statistics to identify phenological patterns and test if its population fluctuation is driven by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effect, seasonal meteorological parameters, and/or host plant availability. Samplings were done in an intercropping system, in the Brazilian Savanna, during the new moon cycles between July/2013 and June/2016. Species were recorded all year round, but demonstrated differently non-uniform distribution, being concentrated in different seasons of the year. Population fluctuations were mostly affected by the ENSO intensity, despite the contrasting seasonal meteorological variation or host plant availability in a 400-m radius. Studies involving the observation of supra-annual phenomena, although rare, reach similar conclusions in relation to Neotropical insect fauna. Therefore, it is paramount to have long-term sampling studies to obtain a more precise response of the pest populations towards the agroecosystem conditions.