Atlantic butterflies: a data set of fruit-feeding butterfly communities from the Atlantic forests.

Butterflies are one of the best-known insect groups, and they have been the subject of numerous studies in ecology and evolution, especially in the tropics. Much attention has been given to the fruit-feeding butterfly guild in biodiversity conservation studies, due to the relative ease with which taxa may be identified and specimens sampled using bait traps. However, there remain many uncertainties about the macroecological and biogeographical patterns of butterflies in tropical ecosystems. In the present study, we gathered information about fruit-feeding butterfly species in local communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America. The ATLANTIC BUTTERFLIES data set, which is part of ATLANTIC SERIES data papers, results from a compilation of 145 unpublished inventories and 64 other references, including articles, theses, and book chapters published from 1949 to 2018. In total, the data set contains 7,062 records (presence) of 279 species of fruit-feeding butterflies identified with taxonomic certainty, from 122 study locations. The Satyrini is the tribe with highest number of species (45%) and records (30%), followed by Brassolini, with 13% of species and 12.5% of records. The 10 most common species correspond to 14.2% of all records. This data set represents a major effort to compile inventories of fruit-feeding butterfly communities, filling a knowledge gap about the diversity and distribution of these butterflies in the Atlantic Forest. We hope that the present data set can provide guidelines for future studies and planning of new inventories of fruit-feeding butterflies in this biome. The information presented here also has potential use in studies across a great variety of spatial scales, from local and landscape levels to macroecological research and biogeographical research. We expect that such studies be very important for the better implementation of conservation initiatives, and for understanding the multiple ecological processes that involve fruit-feeding butterflies as biological indicators. No copyright restrictions apply to the use of this data set. Please cite this Data paper when using the current data in publications or teaching events.

Diversity of fruit-feeding butterflies in a mountaintop archipelago of rainforest.

We provide the first description of the effects of local vegetation and landscape structure on the fruit-feeding butterfly community of a natural archipelago of montane rainforest islands in the Serra do Espinhaço, southeastern Brazil. Butterflies were collected with bait traps in eleven forest islands through both dry and rainy seasons for two consecutive years. The influence of local and landscape parameters and seasonality on butterfly species richness, abundance and composition were analyzed. We also examined the partitioning and decomposition of temporal and spatial beta diversity. Five hundred and twelve fruit-feeding butterflies belonging to thirty-four species were recorded. Butterfly species richness and abundance were higher on islands with greater canopy openness in the dry season. On the other hand, islands with greater understory coverage hosted higher species richness in the rainy season. Instead, the butterfly species richness was higher with lower understory coverage in the dry season. Butterfly abundance was not influenced by understory cover. The landscape metrics of area and isolation had no effect on species richness and abundance. The composition of butterfly communities in the forest islands was not randomly structured. The butterfly communities were dependent on local and landscape effects, and the mechanism of turnover was the main source of variation in ß diversity. The preservation of this mountain rainforest island complex is vital for the maintenance of fruit-feeding butterfly community; one island does not reflect the diversity found in the whole archipelago.

Borboletas frugívoras (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) de uma área urbana (Área de Proteção Especial Manancial Cercadinho) em Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil / Fruit-feeding butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in an urban area (Area of Special Protection Manancial Cercadinho) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Com o objetivo de conhecer as borboletas frugívoras de uma área urbana em Minas Gerais, foi realizado um inventário na Área de Proteção Especial Manacial Cercadinho, localizada na periferia de Belo Horizonte. Foram instaladas 30 armadilhas em dois ambientes: 15 em uma área de Cerrado (campo Cerrado) e 15 na mata ciliar, durante o período de um ano. Foram coletados 1219 indivíduos pertencentes a 45 espécies da família Nymphalidae. A análise de rarefação não indicou diferença entre a riqueza de espécies da mata ciliar e do Cerrado. A curva acumulativa de ocorrência de espécies não resultou em uma assíntota. As quatro espécies mais abundantes pertencem à subfamília Satyrinae. Os resultados em relação à riqueza de espécies no Cercadinho apontam a importância da sua preservação, pois abriga 40% de toda a fauna de borboletas frugívoras estimadas para a região, podendo ser manejada como fonte de colonização de outras áreas urbanas.

Aiming to increase the knowledge of fruit-feeding butterflies in an urban area in Minas Gerais State, a inventory was carried out in the Área de Proteção Especial Manancial Cercadinho, located in the suburban area of Belo Horizonte. Thirty baited traps were arranged in two habitats: 15 in a Cerrado area (Cerrado field) and 15 in a riparian forest. We recorded 1219 individuals belonging to 45 species of Nymphalidae. The rarefaction analyses didn't indicate difference in species richness between the riparian forest and Cerrado. The species accumulation curve did not show an asymptote. The four most abundant species belonged to Satyrinae. Our results about species richness in Cercadinho emphasize the need to protect this area, because it preserves 40% of the whole butterfly fauna estimated for the region, which could be managed as a source of colonization to other urban areas.