Viviane Gianluppi Ferro

Diversity of tiger moths in a Neotropical hotspot: determinants of species composition and identification of biogeographic units

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is a Biodiversity Hotspot, yet many biological groups in this biome are poorly known. We compiled information on the diversity of Atlantic Forest tiger moths (Arctiidae) and assessed the resemblance among localities, whether arctiid assemblages are concordant with major vegetation types, and the importance of environmental factors in structuring the variation among assemblages. Additionally, we developed a procedure composed of subsampling and procrustean analysis to assess the robustness of the results from community composition ordinations when localities differ in species richness. To do this, we built a database from specimens deposited in the ten most important Brazilian entomological collections, and mapped species richness in one-degree latitude/longitude grid cells. We employed Principal Coordinates Analysis to assess similarities among the best-sampled localities. We obtained 8,667 records including 1,193 species, representing 60 and 20% of the estimated Brazilian and Neotropical faunas, respectively. Our subsampling procedure indicated that the ordination was not greatly affected by differences in species richness, and was congruent with major vegetation types. Lowland localities on the seacoast were quite distinct in species composition. A second group included localities in montane areas in the southeast part of the biome. The last group included localities in the southern region and those with Araucaria forests, and was associated with long distances from the ocean, even distribution of precipitation throughout the year, and large annual temperature ranges.

Diversity and composition of tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) in an area of Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil: is the fauna more diverse in the grassland or in the forest?

The Atlantic Forest is considered a biodiversity hotspot for conservation, because its fauna and flora are highly endemic and suffer from loss of natural habitats. This study assessed the composition and diversity of tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) in two floristic formations of the southern Atlantic Forest (grassland and Araucaria forest) and in a transition zone (forest edge). The moths were attracted to UV light reflected onto a white sheet. A total of 3,574 tiger moths were collected, representing 121 species. The rarefaction curves showed that the tiger-moth assemblage collected in the grassland was more diverse than the assemblages from the Araucaria forest and the transition zone. The assemblages in the forest and forest edge resembled each other, whereas the grassland assemblage was distinct. The composition of the tiger-moth assemblages was related to the environmental characteristics [habitat type (grassland, edge, or forest), altitude, temperature, air relative humidity] and the location of the sites. The faunal similarity decreased in response to increasing environmental and geographical distances between the sites. The responsiveness of tiger moths to small-scale variation in environmental and geographical parameters indicates their good potential as environmental indicators.

Biodiversity conservation gaps in the Brazilian protected areas

Although Brazil is a megadiverse country and thus a conservation priority, no study has yet quantified conservation gaps in the Brazilian protected areas (PAs) using extensive empirical data. Here, we evaluate the degree of biodiversity protection and knowledge within all the Brazilian PAs through a gap analysis of vertebrate, arthropod and angiosperm occurrences and phylogenetic data. Our results show that the knowledge on biodiversity in most Brazilian PAs remain scant as 71% of PAs have less than 0.01 species records per km2. Almost 55% of Brazilian species and about 40% of evolutionary lineages are not found in PAs, while most species have less than 30% of their geographic distribution within PAs. Moreover, the current PA network fails to protect the majority of endemic species. Most importantly, these results are similar for all taxonomic groups analysed here. The methods and results of our countrywide assessment are suggested to help design further inventories in order to map and secure the key biodiversity of the Brazilian PAs. In addition, our study illustrates the most common biodiversity knowledge shortfalls in the tropics.

Mariposas Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) do estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil

A list of species was prepared by examining 2,772 specimens deposited in 10 Brazilian collections. A total of 499 arctiines were recorded in 30 municipalities, 1.4% of these species are endemic to the state of Santa Catarina. The most species-rich localities were Joinville, Sao Bento do Sul, Seara, and Brusque. Only 15 nights of samplings were performed in the 21st century. The deciduous forest has been extremely subsampled with respect to Arctiinae moths compared to the other types of vegetation found in the state of Santa Catarina. For a more comprehensive diagnostic of the species richness and composition of Arctiinae moths in Santa Catarina state, aiming conservation strategies of vulnerable habitats and taxa, samplings are needed in many municipalities in the state, especially in areas of deciduous forest and grasslands.

Species composition and temporal activity of Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in two cerrado vegetation types

Arctiinae moths include nearly 11,000 species worldwide, of which approximately 700 species occur in the Brazilian Cerrado. The aim of this study was to describe the species composition of Arctiinae, as well as the variation in annual and nightly moth activity, in two Cerrado vegetation types. We sampled moths one night per month from September 2008 to June 2009, in the gallery forest and in the cerrado sensu stricto in the Jardim Botânico de Brasilia. We collected 395 tiger moths belonging to 65 morphospecies; 74% of the species belonged to the tribe Arctiini and 26% to Lithosiini. Thirty-one species (47.7%) occurred only in the gallery forest, 13 (20%) occurred only in the cerrado sensu stricto, and 21 (32.3%) occurred in both vegetation types. Additionally, we found the greatest species richness between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and these hours were associated with 21 and 22 species, respectively. Most species (51.8%) were active for up to three hours during the night. In general, the species composition differed between the dry and rainy seasons, and the similarity of the fauna also varied hourly. Based on our results, we suggest that rapid inventories of Arctiinae be performed in both rainy and dry seasons, and sampling should be carried out the entire night.

Richness of tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) in the Brazilian Cerrado: how much do we know?

The Cerrado biome is located in the central region of Brazil and consists mainly of savanna vegetation. In this study we assessed the richness of tiger moths (Arctiidae) of the Brazilian Cerrado. Specifically, we 1) assessed species richness in one-degree cells in the biome, 2) identified areas where these moths are poorly known, and 3) tested if similarities in species composition are related to geographical distance in the relatively well-sampled areas. We obtained the data mainly from specimens deposited in museums, but we also included additional information from the literature. We compiled 2,321 records belonging to 723 species. Specimens were recorded in 108 localities distributed in 67 one-degree cells. Species occurring exclusively in one or two one-degree cells represented 64% of the total number of species. Sample effort was not uniform in the biome, as there were very few records in the northern region of the Cerrado. The best-sampled one-degree cell had 239 species. Species assemblages were structured in space with a clear trend of localities near one another presenting more similarities in faunal composition than distant localities. This distance decay in similarity was slightly more pronounced along the longitudinal than along the latitudinal distances. We conclude that the Cerrado still remains poorly inventoried for tiger moths, particularly in its northern portion, where many unrecorded species may be found in the future. Despite of this limited knowledge, the best-sampled region indicates that richness of tiger moths in the Cerrado is comparable to the species-rich forest biomes in the Neotropical region.

Riqueza e composição de Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) em cinco Unidades de Conservação do Cerrado

Cerca de 50% da diversidade de mariposas Arctiinae do Brasil esta no Cerrado. Contudo, a fauna desses insetos e extremamente subamostrada na regiao norte do bioma, onde localizam-se as areas de vegetacao mais preservadas. Diante disso, este trabalho teve como objetivos descrever a riqueza, abundância, composicao e diversidade beta de Arctiinae em diferentes fitofisionomias de cinco Unidades de Conservacao localizadas no nordeste do Cerrado. Foram amostradas 83 especies, das quais quase 78% ocorreram em apenas uma Unidade de Conservacao. As localidades com menor grau de preservacao apresentaram maior riqueza de especies, o que pode ser explicado como uma resposta a disturbios intermediarios na paisagem destes locais. As fitofisionomias florestais foram mais ricas em especies, corroborando a hipotese da heterogeneidade ambiental. De maneira geral, a similaridade da fauna foi baixa tanto entre as Unidades de Conservacao quanto entre as fitofisionomias. Inventarios mais completos precisam ser feitos a fim de avaliarmos que fatores estao influenciando os padroes de riqueza e composicao de Arctiinae nestas localidades de Cerrado e, assim, subsidiar futuras acoes de conservacao.

Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This study describes the composition and distribution of the Arctiinae species (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in Rio de Janeiro, generating the first list of Arctiinae species in the state. We assessed the variations in species composition and the different vegetation types in the municipalities of Rio de Janeiro. Data were collected primarily through surveys of museums and publication lists of species. We also conducted field sampling in March and September 2010. Of the 2,077 records covering 28 municipalities, 679 Arctiinae species were found in Rio de Janeiro state and were divided into two tribes and 220 genera. The location with the highest number of species recorded was Itatiaia, with 362 species, followed by Petropolis and Angra dos Reis, with 320 and 306 species, respectively. Thirty-four percent (n = 230) of the species recorded were exclusive, i.e., occurred in only one location. The lowest dissimilarity values were observed between neighboring municipalities with the same type of plant formation, such as Petropolis and Teresopolis (19%) or Itatiaia and Resende (24%). Some municipalities slightly further apart geographically, but with the same type of plant formation, also showed low levels of dissimilarity, for example, Petropolis and Resende (29%). However, most locations showed intermediate dissimilarity values of 40-60%, and in some cases, this figure rose to 96%. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, irrespective of its small geographical size and the predominance of a unique ecosystem, the Atlantic Forest shows a wide variation in relief, which may explain the high beta diversity values. Despite the large number of Arctiinae species recorded in Rio de Janeiro, few species were identified in areas with important forest remnants, such as Guapimirim, Nova Iguacu, and Campos dos Goitacazes. Some regions of the northwestern part of the state were also subsampled. It is likely that new records of Arctiinae still exist in these locations, further increasing the list of Arctiinae species in Rio de Janeiro.

Plant species richness as the main driver of moth metacommunities: Plants driving moth metacommunities

1. Ecologists have recognised several factors that may explain the distribution of species in a metacommunity. These factors may be related to the dispersal of individuals among the patches and environmental conditions.

Arctiini Leach, [1815] (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) of the Brazilian Amazon. II — Subtribe Pericopina Walker, [1865]

This study aims to identify and record specimens of the lepidopteran tribe Arctiini from the Brazilian Amazon, as well as update the previous lists of this tribe, based on specimens from collections and a literature review. Sixty-two species of Pericopina were recorded, of which six are newly recorded from the Brazilian Amazon.