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Vol. 53, 2014
Distribution patterns of riodinid butterflies (Lepidoptera:
Riodinidae) from southern Brazil
Ricardo
R Siewert1*, Cristiano A Iserhard2, Helena P
Romanowski1, Curtis J Callaghan3 and Alfred Moser4
1aDepartamento
de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento
Gonçalves 9500, Prédio 43435, Sala 229, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do
Sul, Brazil
2Departamento de Ecologia, Zoologia e Genética,
Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Caixa Postal
354, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
3Casa Picapau, Floresta de la Sabana, Carrera 7,
237-04 Bogotá, Colombia
4Avenida Rotermund 1045, São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do
Sul, Brazil
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.
Key words: Atlantic forest; Occurrence;
Pampa; Spatial autocorrelation.
*Correspondence: E-mail: ricardo.siewert@gmail.com
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