The butterflies (Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea) of Malinalco, State of Mexico

Abstract

THE SPECIES COMPOSITION, ALTITUDINAL DISTRIBUTION AND ADULT FOOD RESOURCES OF THE BUTTERFL Y FAUNA OF MALINALCO, MEXICO STATE, WERE STUDIED. OVER THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR, SYSTEMATIC COLLECTIONS WERE CARRIED OUT AT 12 LOCALITIES BETWEEN 1 000 AND 2 000 M OF ELEVATION, RESULTING IN 1 333 SPECIMENS, WHICH REPRESENT 2 SUPERFAMILIES, 6 FAMILIES, 21 SUBFAMILIES, 147 GENERA AND 213 SPECIES, OF WHICH 157 ARE NEW RECORDS (63 NEW REGIONAL RECORDS, 94 NEW STATE RECORDS). THE MOST DIVERSE FAMILY WAS HESPERIIDAE (74 SPECIES), FOLLOWED BY NYMPHALIDAE (55 SPECIES), LYCAENIDAE (30 SPECIES), PIERIDAE (26 SPECIES), PAPILIONIDAE (16 SPECIES) AND RIODINIDAE (12 SPECIES). THE BEST-REPRESENTED GENERA IN TERMS OF SPECIES RICHNESS WERE URBANUS, STRYMON, EMESIS AND CHLOSYNE. BASED ON A FITTED SPECIES ACCUMULATION CURVE, FOLLOWING CLENCH´S MODEL, 81% OF THE NUMBER OF SPECIES EXPECTED TO OCCUR WERE ACTUALLY COLLECTED. THE LIST OF SPECIES GENERATED FROM THIS FIELDWORK WAS INCREASED WITH ADDITIONAL DATA FROM THE MARIPOSA DATABASE AT THE MUSEO DE ZOOLOGÍA ALFONSO L. HERRERA, FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS, UNAM, FOR A TOTAL OF 240 SPECIES RECORDED FROM THE MUNICIPALITY. THE GREATEST DIVERSITY OF SPECIES (102) WAS FOUND IN MAY, COINCIDING WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE ANNUAL RAINY SEASON, FOLLOWED BY 62 SPECIES IN JULY, AND 42 SPECIES IN AUGUST. THIRTY ONE PERCENT OF THE SPECIES WERE ONLY FOUND BELOW 1 400 M. BASED ON FEEDING PREFERENCES AND AVAILABLE FOOD RESOURCES OF ADULTS, THREE FEEDING GUILDS WERE DETERMINED: NECTAR-FEEDING (54%), MUD-PUDDLING (2%) AND YEAST-FEEDING (3%).