Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea) of the Banhado dos Pachecos Wildlife Refuge, Uruguayan Savanna Ecoregion, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

By

Caporale, Andressa
Moreno, Liana Bertoldi
Mega, Nicolás Oliveira
Romanowski, Helena Piccoli

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2015-12-15

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

11

Series / Issue

Issue: 6

Pages

1813--9

Subjects

Conservation , Fragmentation , Grasslands , Pampa biome , species richness

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/11.6.1813

 

Abstract

The Pampa is a biome shared by Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Despite its high biodiversity, little is known about the invertebrate fauna. The few inventories done so far were conducted outside protected areas, which could result in underestimated real biodiversity. Thus, species inventories from protected areas should be done to serve as reference for conservation. Here we survey the butterflies occurring in the Banhado dos Pachecos Wildlife Refuge, Uruguayan Savanna, Brazil. Sampling was performed between April 2012 and March 2013. After 288 hours of sampling, 1,508 individuals from 113 species were sampled; five new species records for Rio Grande do Sul state and 12 for the Uruguayan Savanna were found. Richness among families was compared to other inventories and butterfly conservation discussed concerning the conversion of grasslands into croplands/pastures. The evidence presented supports that the Pampa is a fragile environment under the pressure of habitat conversion. Biodiversity studies in fragmented areas are needed to provide essential information for conservation programs.