A New Genus And Species Of Euptychiina (lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) From Southern Brazil.

This paper describes a new genus and a new species of Euptychiina from open grassland habitats (campos de cima da serra) in southern Brazil. The systematic position of this new taxon is discussed based on morphological and molecular data, and it is considered sister to Taydebis Freitas. Since the campos vegetation is considered endangered due to anthropogenic activities, this butterfly species deserves attention and should be included in future conservation plans for this biome.40231-

Artificial perches increase bird-mediated seed rain in agricultural fallow area in southern Brazil.

One of the main barriers to restoration is the arrival of diaspores in degraded areas. However, this process can be hampered in open areas without trees in the landscape. For that, artificial perches are used to attract and provide a landing area for avian seed dispersers, to enhance seed rain. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of the distance of artificial perches in relation to a forest fragment on the diversity and composition of seed rain in an agricultural fallow area, including alien invasive plant species. We also aimed to record and characterize the bird species that potentially act as seed dispersers. Thus, we used artificial perches at three different distances from a forest fragment (5, 25, and 50 m). Four seed traps were arranged under the perches at each distance, and four control seed traps were interspersed with these and distanced at 7.5 m. Furthermore, we placed four seed traps inside the forest fragment at 5m from the edge.We also carried out 80 h of focal observation of the avifauna that used artificial perches. A total of 24 655 seeds were sampled across all treatments. There was a significant difference in seed abundance and richness between artificial perches, control seed traps, and forest seed traps. Seed deposition increased with distance from the forest fragment (50, 25, and 5 m). An ordination procedure indicated the formation of three plant seed communities, with the forest community being most distinct. The invasive exotic species Pittosporum undulatum (Australian cheesewood) was the third most abundant in the seed rain. We observed 24 bird species from 12 families using artificial perches. The Tyrannidae family was the most represented. We showed that artificial perches are efficient structures for attracting birds, increasing the richness and abundance of seed species. Artificial perches at 25 and 50m were more efficient possibly due to the provision of greater visibility for birds. Therefore, artificial perches are efficient in increasing seed rain in the fallow area but should be used with caution in landscapes with the presence of alien species. These findings contribute to increasing knowledge about overcoming the first barrier to ecological restoration, which is the arrival of diaspores in degraded areas, and showing the importance of birds in this process

Distribution patterns of riodinid butterflies (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae) from southern Brazil

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

Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae, <i>Heliconius sara apseudes</i> (Hübner, 1813): Distribution extension

This work presents new records and extends the geographic distribution of Heliconius sara apseudes in theAtlantic Forest of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Five new records were taken along butterfly inventories carried outbetween 2005 and 2010 in distinct phytophysiognomies at Rio Grande do Sul northeast region: Swamp Forest, AtlanticForest stricto sensu and Araucaria Moist Forest. The fact that all registers occurred in well preserved habitats of the AtlanticForest emphasizes the need of conservation of this biome in Rio Grande do Sul