Diversidade dos noctuídeos (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) em Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil Diversity of owlet-moth (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

<abstract language="eng">Diversity of owlet-moth (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Noctuidae community in Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. Light traps captured the insects of this research. The quantitative data were collected through weekly sampling, during one year (1994-1995); the qualitative data were collected through non-systematic sampling, during four consecutive years. The community characterization was based on the richness, abundance, specific constancy, diversity indices and abundance distribution; also total richness estimates were calculated, by nonparametric statistical procedures. In the systematized collecting there were captured 4017 noctuids of 108 species, distributed in 14 subfamilies; in the non-systematized, another 189 additional species and two subfamilies. Amphipyrinae, Hadeninae and Ophiderinae had the largest species richness. The more constant species were noctuids of great economic importance; the accessories were related to specific vegetable groups; the accidentals have their host unknown. The accessories and accidental species were captured more in spring and summer; also in these periods were measured the highest values of richness, abundance and diversity. There was no fit between observed/calculated log normal and log series distribution models. The 2nd order Jackknife and Michaelis-Menten equation procedures estimated that the total richness values were close to the total number of the species in the studied area