Borboletas (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) associadas a ambientes de restinga no sul do Brasil

Abstract

This work presents (1) an inventory of the butterfly species associated with restinga environments in extreme southern region of Rio Grande do Sul State and (2) a review of the state of conservation of the butterfly Stichelia pelotensis Biezanko, Mielke & Wedderhoff, [1979] with the aid of the Predictive Distribution Modeling technique. The field samplings were conducted in four areas of Rio Grande County, between August 2012 and June 2013. With 216 hours of sampling effort, 1438 individuals belonging to 98 species, six families and 14 subfamilies were found. With this study, two new records for the restinga from southern Rio Grande do Sul were found, along with three new records for the restinga of the State, and a new record for Rio Grande do Sul State, the Hesperiidae Viola violella (Mabille, 1898). The Predictive Distribution Model indicated a high environmental suitability for S. pelotensis in eastern Rio Grande do Sul, especially near the north, west and south of the Lagoa dos Patos. Additionally, it was found that four Conservation Lands are located in areas of high environmental suitability for this species. Due to the scarcity of data on the presence of the S. pelotensis, we point to the importance of more field samplings with the goal of finding new populations in this indicated auspicious region for the species occurrence. In the future, these data may support conservation programs for the restinga of Rio Grande do Sul State.