Lepidopteran caterpillar fauna on lactiferous host plants in the central Brazilian cerrado

Abstract

Nine lactiferous plants of five families were examined for caterpillars in a 4 ha cerrado sensu stricto (savanna-like vegetation) area of the University of Brasília Experimental Farm (DF, Brazil), from August 1995 to May 1997. In 5,540 censuses, less than 5% of the plants hosted caterpillars. All the caterpillars found, a total of 55 species in 15 families were reared under laboratory conditions. Pyralidae, Geometridae, Elachistidae, Megalopygidae, and Limacodidae were the richest caterpillar families recorded. Of the 55 species, more than 40% were polyphagous, feeding on different host plant families, while 21 were considered rare species with less than four records during the study period. The species' rareness did not permit any analysis of diet breadth. The presence of latex in the host plants seems to affect both the proportion of host plants with caterpillars (abundance) and the caterpillar species richness. The habit of eating plants that characteristically produce latex occurs in several distantly-related lepidopteran families. The results support the argument that specific behaviors to circumvent plant latex defense may have arisen independently many times in the Lepidoptera.

Climate and host plant characteristics effects on lepidopteran caterpillar abundance on Miconia ferruginata DC. and Miconia pohliana Cogn (Melastomataceae)

“…This result has been found recurrently for different plant species in the cerrado (Price et al, 1995;Diniz and Morais, 1997;Diniz et al, 1999), and seems to be a consistent pattern of folivore insects in this biome (Loyola and Fernandes, 1993;Ribeiro et al, 1999).…”

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

“…This is more than found on other host plants already studied in the area (e.g. Diniz & Morais 1997;Diniz et al 1999Diniz et al , 2001.…”

“…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.…”

“…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.The Neotropical region is particularly rich in Stenomatinae (Elachistidae sensu Minet 1990). Of the 1,216 known species of this subfamily, 1,106 occur in the Neotropical region (Heppner 1991).…”

Larvas de Geometridae (Lepidoptera) e seus parasitóides, associadas a Erythroxylum microphyllum St.- Hilaire (Erythroxylaceae)

“…Diniz & Morais (1995, Diniz et al (1999Diniz et al ( , 2001, Milhomen et al (1997) e Pinheiro et al (1997) referiram-se a lepidópteros em plantas de cerrado no Brasil central; Braga et al (2001) aos Geometridae e seus parasitóides, associados a Piperaceae em área de mata semidecídua em São Carlos, SP; Scherrer et al (1997) …”