Lepidópteros folívoros em Roupala montana Aubl. (Proteaceae) no Cerrado Sensu Stricto

Abstract

-Richness of lepidopteran species in the cerrado is high. The confirmation of this richness is based on adult records but knowledge of larvae-host plants interactions is still incipient. The main purpose of this work was to identify folivorous caterpillar species on Roupala montana Aubl. in areas of a Brazilian cerrado sensu stricto, their dietary range, and the relative age of the consumed leaves richness. Three data sets, collected from 1991 to 2004 were used in this study. All caterpillars found on the host plants in the field were collected and reared in the laboratory. Sixtytwo lepidopteran species from 22 families were recorded; they were found feeding on new (8%) and mature (92%) leaves of R. montana. Cerconota sciaphilina (Zeller) (Elachistidae), two unidentified Gracillariidae species and, one species of Gelechiidae fed only on new leaves. These species showed a short life cycle, which was very syncronized with the host plant foliar phenology. Among the species feeding on mature leaves, 36 were considered polyphagous and, these showed a large variation in the use of the food resource. Twenty-six species were found only on R. montana, 58% were very rare, a character that difficults the analysis of their dietary range. The monophagous species on R. montana were: Chlamydastis platyspora (Meyrick) (Elachistidae), Stenoma cathosiota Meyrick (Elachistidae), Idalus prop. sublineata (Rothschild) (Arctiidae), and Eomichla sp. (Oecophoridae). KEY WORDS: Chlamydastis platyspora, dietary range, Eomichla, Idalus, Stenoma cathosiotaRESUMO -No cerrado a riqueza de espécies de lepidópteros é alta e confirmada por registros de adultos, mas o conhecimento sobre as interações das lagartas com suas plantas hospedeiras ainda é incipiente. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram conhecer a riqueza de espécies de lepidópteros folívoros em Roupala montana Abl., a idade relativa das folhas consumidas pelas espécies e suas amplitudes de dietas. Os dados foram coletados em áreas de cerrado sensu stricto de Brasília de 1991 a 2004. As lagartas encontradas foram coletadas e criadas no laboratório. Foram registradas 62 espécies de lepidópteros de 22 famílias, consumindo folhas jovens (8%) e maduras (92%) de R. montana. Cerconota sciaphilina (Zeller) (Elachistidae), duas espécies de Gracillariidae e uma de Gelechiidae consumiram somente folhas jovens e, apresentaram ciclo de vida curto e sincronizado com a fenologia foliar da planta hospedeira. Das espécies que consomem folhas maduras, 36 foram consideradas polífagas e mostraram variação muito grande na utilização do recurso. Vinte e seis espécies foram encontradas somente em R. montana, sendo que 58% delas são bastante raras, o que dificulta análise de amplitude de dieta. As espécies monófagas em R. montana foram Chlamydastis platyspora (Meyrick) (Elachistidae), Stenoma cathosiota Meyrick (Elachistidae), Idalus prop. sublineata (Rothschild) (Arctiidae) e Eomichla sp. (Oecophoridae).

Temporal and spatial variation of Stenoma cathosiota Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae) caterpillar abundance in the cerrado of Brasilia, Brazil

“…com.). S. cathosiota, C. platyspora and the new genus were found only on R. montana (Bendicho-López et al 2006).…”

“…com.). S. cathosiota, C. platyspora and the new genus were found only on R. montana (Bendicho-López et al 2006).The biology of the rich lepidopteran fauna of cerrado region is still little known. In this work, information on the biology of the caterpillar of the moth S. cathosiota, which uses R. montana as its host, are presented, along with information on variation in the abundance and parasitism of these caterpillars in biennially and sporadically burned areas.…”

“…This means that they eat leaves with low nitrogen and high fi ber contents (Marquis et al 2001), which can be another factor that partially explain the rarity of caterpillars. In the case of S. cathosiota, whose larvae fed on mature leaves (Bendicho-López et al 2006), the peaks of caterpillar frequencies occurred in the dry season (June-July), but there was a relative high frequency of caterpillars in the beginning of the rainy season (OctoberNovember).Caterpillar's abundance variation, among years, is relatively common in cerrado areas (Andrade et al 1995; Diniz et al 2000a, b;Bendicho-López et al 2003). This temporal variation (seasonal and annual) in caterpillar abundance makes it diffi cult to distinguish the possible effects of fi re on this fauna.…”

“…is very common in this region and a rich caterpillar fauna feeds on this plant. In the Área de Proteção Ambiental Gama-Cabeça de Veado (DF, Brazil), 62 species of Lepidoptera associated with R. montana were identifi ed (Bendicho- López et al 2006). This is more than found on Diniz et al 1999Diniz et al , 2001.…”

Tree-Dwelling Ants: Contrasting Two Brazilian Cerrado Plant Species without Extrafloral Nectaries

“…(Cicadellidae and Idiocerinae), which forms large aggregates of nymphs feeding on new leaves at the beginning of the rainy season [21]. A rich fauna of caterpillars, including Hallonympha paucipuncta (Spitz, 1930) (Riodinidae) and at least 10 species of Lycaenidae, consumes its leaves and inflorescences [27][28][29].…”