Richness and composition of Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) in five Conservation Units in the Cerrado biome

ABSTRACT

The Cerrado biome contains about 50% of the Brazilian Arctiinae moths. However, northern region of the Cerrado is under-sampled for these insects, where there are more preserved areas. Here, we described the richness, composition, abundance, and beta diversity of Arctiinae in different vegetation types in five Protected Areas in the Cerrado northeast. We found 83 species, almost 78% of them occurred in one Protected Area. Less preserved localities had higher species richness. This result can be explained as a response to frequent intermediate disturbances in the landscape of these places. Forested areas were richer in species, supporting the environmental heterogeneity hypothesis. Compositional similarity was low among protected areas and among vegetation types. More complete inventories are required to assess which factors are influencing species richness and composition patterns of Arctiinae moths in these localities and thus guide future conservation actions.

KEYWORDS
Protected Areas; inventories; moths