Distribution patterns of riodinid butterflies (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae) from southern Brazil

Ricardo R Siewert,Cristiano A Iserhard,Curtis J Callaghan,Alfred Moser,Helena P Romanowski

doi:10.1186/1810-522x-53-15

Ricardo R Siewert, Cristiano A Iserhard + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1810-522x-53-15

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Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to synthesize the knowledge of Riodinidae butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in Rio Grande do Sul state (RS), southern Brazil, evaluating the role of climatic, topographic, and vegetational variables on the observed patterns of occurrence and distribution of these butterflies in the Pampa and Atlantic Forest biomes. The records of riodinid butterflies in RS were collected from published studies and the examination of museum collections in Brazil. Results: A total of 97 taxa of Riodinidae were recorded, distributed in 92 municipalities. The NMDS analysis and the Constrained Analysis of Principal Coordinates grouped the municipalities according to the phytogeographic regions and biomes - Pampa and Atlantic Forest domains - in which the species records were made. Distance from the ocean, precipitation and temperature were the environmental variables which most contributed to explain the distribution patterns of these butterflies. The multivariate Mantel correlogram suggests that over short distances, the composition of species shows significant levels of spatial autocorrelation, and as geographic distance increases, these levels tend to present negative values. Conclusions: The results suggest that the observed distribution pattern of Riodinidae in the different biomes and phytogeographic regions in the extreme southern Brazil could be explained by climatic, environmental variables and geographic distance.

Highlights

The aim of this study was to synthesize the knowledge of Riodinidae butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in Rio Grande do Sul state (RS), southern Brazil, evaluating the role of climatic, topographic, and vegetational variables on the observed patterns of occurrence and distribution of these butterflies in the Pampa and Atlantic Forest biomes
The genus Seco Hall and Harvey 2002 is restricted to xeric habitats (Hall and Harvey 2002a), while some species from Euselasia only occur in wet environments (e.g. Nishida 2010) and most Aricoris species are linked to grasslands habitats in vast areas of South America
This study aimed (1) to compile and upgrade a species list of riodinid of this extreme southern Brazilian state, (2) to identify environmental variables that shape the patterns of occurrence and distribution of Riodinidae in this region, and (3) to compare the species composition of these butterflies among the different phytogeographic regions in Atlantic Forest and Pampa from southern Brazil

Summary

Introduction

The aim of this study was to synthesize the knowledge of Riodinidae butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in Rio Grande do Sul state (RS), southern Brazil, evaluating the role of climatic, topographic, and vegetational variables on the observed patterns of occurrence and distribution of these butterflies in the Pampa and Atlantic Forest biomes. Butterflies are reasonably easy to sample, some taxa have relatively well-known taxonomy and may be considered a charismatic group Riodinid richness is highly concentrated in the neotropics, with 95% of the species (c.a. 1,300) occurring in this region (DeVries 1997; Hall 2002). These butterflies are generally associated in restricted to specific microhabitats and may be spatially rare with low population densities, even if showing, in some cases, wide distributions (Callaghan 1978; Brown 1992; DeVries 1997). The little knowledge available, points to a high habitat specificity of the riodinid butterflies and the sheer number of species present in a given site may be a good indicator of environmental health

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