Crepuscular and nocturnal hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from a fragment of Atlantic rainforest in the state of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil

Author(s)

Rocha Vieira, Kely Cristina ^[1] ; Moraes, Simeao de Souza ^[2] ; Chiquetto-Machado, Pedro Ivo ^[2] ; Duarte, Marcelo ^{[2, 3]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Paulista, BR-05036040 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Zool, Inst Biociencias, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Biol Zool, BR-05508900 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Museu Zool, Programa Posgrad Sistemat Taxon Anim & Biodiversi, BR-04263000 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST; v. 98, n. 1, p. 342-348, MAR 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

A survey of the richness, abundance and species composition of Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) was performed in a fragment of Atlantic Rainforest at the Serra do Japi Biological Reserve, Municipality of Jundiai, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Sampling was done monthly, on 2 consecutive nights, from Dec 2011 to Oct 2012, totaling 264 hours of sampling effort. The hawkmoths were attracted by a light trap. Our results were compared with data from a survey of Sphingidae carried out in another fragment of Atlantic Rainforest, i.e., at the Boraceia Biological Station, Municipality of Salesopolis, Sao Paulo. Richness estimators, rarefaction curves and rank/abundance plots were used to describe the assemblage sampled in this study and to compare it with the data set from Boraceia. We collected 462 specimens, members of 3 subfamilies, 5 tribes, 18 genera and 39 species. Callionima parce (Fabricius) was the most abundant species, comprising 33% of the individuals. Orecta lycidas (Boisduval), an under-sampled species in the Atlantic Rainforest, was recorded for the first time in the area of Serra do Japi. The assemblage showed lower species richness and evenness than the assemblage at Boraceia, probably due to differences in climate, vegetation and size of the forest fragment in which the reserves are situated. Nevertheless, our results emphasize the importance of the Serra do Japi Biological Reserve for the fauna of Lepidoptera of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/11161-0 - Cladistic analysis and taxonomic delimitation of the genus Dysschema Hübner, 1818 (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini, Pericopina)
• Grantee: Simeão de Souza Moraes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 11/50225-3 - Natural history, phylogeny and conservation of Neotropical Lepidoptera
• Grantee: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 12/12087-0 - Structure and composition of the light-attracted hawkmoth community (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of the Estação Biológica de Boracéia, Salesópolis, São Paulo
• Grantee: Pedro Ivo Chiquetto Machado
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master