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?

Arctiini Leach, [1815] (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) of the Brazilian Amazon. IV - Subtribe Euchromiina Butler, 1876

Abstract: The Euchromiina moths comprise 735 species in the neotropics. Here we provide a list of Euchromiina species from the Brazilian Amazon. The list was produced from specimens deposited in the most important Brazilian collections and from literature data. Nearly 30% (219) of the neotropics Euchromiina species were recorded, including 13 new occurrences for the Brazilian Amazon. Santarém and Belém were the municipalities with the highest number of species records, with 96 and 74, respectively. Although the number of Euchromiina records is high in the Amazon, this value is underestimated because the fauna was never sampled in the vast majority of the biome. This is a worrying scenario because the Amazon has the world highest absolute rate of forest reduction. In order to suggest efficient conservation policies for the Amazon Arctiinae fauna, it is urgent to intensify the sampling effort in this biome.

Revision of "Aemilia" pagana Species-Group (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae), with a Description of a New Endemic Species and Comments on the Conservation Status

A taxonomical rearrangement of "Aemilia" pagana species-group is proposed: Leucanopsis pagana (Schaus in Proc Zool Soc London 1894:225-243, 1894) comb. nov. and L. ninae (Orfila in Rev Soc Entomol Argent 21:67-70, 1959) comb. nov. A new endemic species from Pampa de Achala, Córdoba, Argentina, closer to both species, is described: Leucanopsis navarroi sp. nov. These three species can be recognized because the color pattern is the darkest among species of Leucanopsis. Characteristics of male genitalia suggest the nomenclatural rearrangement proposed. Leucanopsis pagana comb. nov. has a wide distribution from the center of Brazil to northeastern Argentina, including southern Paraguay. The known distribution and geospatial analysis suggest that this species is not in danger. Leucanopsis ninae comb. nov. is restricted to only one known locality (Villa Gesell, Buenos Aires). The restricted known distribution, the different land use practices, and geospatial analysis suggest that this species could be endangered. Leucanopsis navarroi sp. nov. is endemic to the high plateau present in the center of Argentina called Pampa de Achala. The known distribution and geospatial analysis suggest that this species could be endangered. Further studies are necessary to determine effectively the conservation status of these three species.

Tiger-Moths in Savannas in Eastern Amazon: First Assessment of Diversity and Seasonal Aspects

Biodiversity knowledge on insects is urgently needed due to the ever growing demand for food and the consequent deforestation process and loss of natural habitats in many understudied tropical regions. In this paper, we describe the outcome of a biodiversity research on tiger moths performed for the first time in a poorly studied Amazonian landscape-the savanna. We sampled tiger moths monthly with UV automatic light traps for 12 consecutive months in two sampling points in an area of savanna in eastern Amazon, and we compared our results to previously available data for eastern Amazon. We found a total of 91 species of which 80 were identified to species level. The most species-rich subtribes were Phaegopterina and Euchromiina with 32 species each. Species richness and abundance did not differ among sampling sites, but in general the species richness was higher during the dry season while abundance was higher during the wet season. This seasonal diversity pattern differs from the most common patterns recorded for savannas in other parts of the world. The species composition also changed in wet and dry seasons and correlated significantly with temperature and relative humidity. Our results suggest that the alpha diversity of the Amazonian savannas in our sampling area is lower than that in nearby rain forests and similar to that in agriculturally disturbed areas surrounded by rain forests. However, the species composition differed considerably from natural and disturbed areas. These results highlight the need of basic biodiversity surveys of insects in Amazonian savannas.

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 Petrópolis 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 Petrópolis and Teresópolis (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 Iguaçu, 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.

Factors that influence the beta-diversity of spider communities in northwestern Argentinean Grasslands

Beta-diversity, defined as spatial replacement in species composition, is crucial to the understanding of how local communities assemble. These changes can be driven by environmental or geographic factors (such as geographic distance), or a combination of the two. Spiders have been shown to be good indicators of environmental quality. Accordingly, spiders are used in this work as model taxa to establish whether there is a decrease in community similarity that corresponds to geographic distance in the grasslands of the Campos & Malezales ecoregion (Corrientes). Furthermore, the influence of climactic factors and local vegetation heterogeneity (environmental factors) on assemblage composition was evaluated. Finally, this study evaluated whether the differential dispersal capacity of spider families is a factor that influences their community structure at a regional scale. Spiders were collected with a G-Vac from vegetation in six grassland sites in the Campos & Malezales ecoregion that were separated by a minimum of 13 km. With this data, the impact of alpha-diversity and different environmental variables on the beta-diversity of spider communities was analysed. Likewise, the importance of species replacement and nesting on beta-diversity and their contribution to the regional diversity of spider families with different dispersion capacities was evaluated. The regional and site-specific inventories obtained were complete. The similarity between spider communities declined as the geographic distance between sites increased. Environmental variables also influenced community composition; stochastic events and abiotic forces were the principal intervening factors in assembly structure. The differential dispersal capacity of spider groups also influenced community structure at a regional scale. The regional beta-diversity, as well as species replacement, was greater in high and intermediate vagility spiders; while nesting was greater in spiders with low dispersion capacity. Geographic distance, among other factors (climate, and active and passive dispersion capacity), explains assembly structure and the decrease spider community similarity between geographically distant sites. Spiders with the highest dispersal capacity showed greater species replacement. This may be due to the discontinuity (both natural and anthropic) of the grasslands in this ecoregion, which limits the dispersal capacity of these spiders, and their close dependence on microhabitats. The dispersal capacity of the least vagile spiders is limited by geographic distance and biotic factors, such as competition, which could explain the nesting observed between their communities.

The reduced effectiveness of protected areas under climate change threatens Atlantic forest tiger moths

Climate change leads to species' range shifts, which may end up reducing the effectiveness of protected areas. These deleterious changes in biodiversity may become amplified if they include functionally important species, such as herbivores or pollinators. We evaluated how effective protected areas in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are in maintaining the diversity of tiger moths (Arctiinae) under climate change. Specifically, we assessed whether protected areas will gain or lose species under climate change and mapped their locations in the Atlantic Forest, in order to assess potential spatial patterns of protected areas that will gain or lose species richness. Comparisons were completed using modeled species occurrence data based on the current and projected climate in 2080. We also built a null model for random allocation of protected areas to identify where reductions in species richness will be more severe than expected. We employed several modern techniques for modeling species' distributions and summarized results using ensembles of models. Our models indicate areas of high species richness in the central and southern regions of the Atlantic Forest both for now and the future. However, we estimate that in 2080 these regions should become climatically unsuitable, decreasing the species' distribution area. Around 4% of species were predicted to become extinct, some of them being endemic to the biome. Estimates of species turnover from current to future climate tended to be high, but these findings are dependent on modeling methods. Our most important results show that only a few protected areas in the southern region of the biome would gain species. Protected areas in semideciduous forests in the western region of the biome would lose more species than expected by the null model employed. Hence, current protected areas are worse off, than just randomly selected areas, at protecting species in the future.

Skipper Richness (Hesperiidae) Along Elevational Gradients in Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Hesperiidae are claimed to be a group of elusive butterflies that need major effort for sampling, thus being frequently omitted from tropical butterfly surveys. As no studies have associated species richness patterns of butterflies with environmental gradients of high altitudes in Brazil, we surveyed Hesperiidae ensembles in Serra do Mar along elevational transects (900-1,800 m above sea level) on three mountains. Transects were sampled 11-12 times on each mountain to evaluate how local species richness is influenced by mountain region, vegetation type, and elevational zones. Patterns were also analyzed for the subfamilies, and after disregarding species that exhibit hilltopping behavior. Species richness was evaluated by the observed richness, Jacknife2 estimator and Chao 1 estimator standardized by sample coverage. Overall, 155 species were collected, but extrapolation algorithms suggest a regional richness of about 220 species. Species richness was far higher in forest than in early successional vegetation or grassland. Richness decreased with elevation, and was higher on Anhangava mountain compared with the two others. Patterns were similar between observed and extrapolated Jacknife2 richness, but vegetation type and mountain richness became altered using sample coverage standardization. Hilltopping species were more easily detected than species that do not show this behavior; however, their inclusion did neither affect estimated richness nor modify the shape of the species accumulation curve. This is the first contribution to systematically study highland butterflies in southern Brazil where all records above 1,200 m are altitudinal extensions of the known geographical ranges of skipper species in the region.