Population Biology and Natural History ofParides burchellanus(Papilionidae: Papilioninae: Troidini), an Endangered Brazilian Butterfly

Abstract

The present paper describes the population parameters, the behavior, and the geographic range of Parides burchellanus (Westwood, 1872), an endangered papilionid butterfly from Brazil. Population biology was described based on a 13-mo mark-recapture program in a site of riparian forest in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The range of the population size was 10–30 individuals (with a maximum near 100 individuals). Sex ratio was male biased, with males dominating in all months. The age structure was not stable, with an increase in intermediate and old individuals before the population break in the dry season. The residence time was 23.2 ± 18.4 d for males and 16.4 ± 12.5 to females, with a maximum of 73 d recorded for males and 64 d for females. Males can travel distances of up to 950 m and females up to 650 m. When searching for P. burchellanus populations in 63 sites with suitable habitats, only seven actually had resident populations. A combination of high habitat specificity for larvae and adults could explain the rarity of this butterfly. The available data could be used in conservation programs for P. burchellanus, which should include protection of the habitats of all known colonies so far.

Parides burchellanus (Westwood, 1872) (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae): new distribution records from southwestern Minas Gerais state, Brazil

“…CamposNeto and O.J. Marini-Filho, unpublished data) and in the municipality of Brumadinho, Minas Gerais (Mielke et al 2004;Beirão et al 2012). These two colonies are 640 km apart in a straight line.…”

“…Parides burchellanus was found in both river systems on several occasions in 2013, within the range of the municipalities of Perdizes, Araxá, Ibiá, Campos Altos, Tapiraí, Medeiros, São Roque de Minas, Vargem Bonita and Tapira, all in Minas Gerais state (Figure 1). Between May and October 2013, P. burchellanus was spotted 29 times along 83.7 km of transects covering seven distinct drainages of the upper Araguari River basin, and at 13 locations along 22 km of the main channel of the upper São Francisco River Paulo (Tyler et al 1994;Beirão et al 2012); the region of Uberaba, Minas Gerais, where extensive deforestation took place (Brown and Mielke 1998;Casagrande 1998); and in one colony at the Maranhão River, in Planaltina, Goiás, which apparently went extinct due to a heavy flooding episode (Tyler et al 1994).…”

“…These two colonies are 640 km apart in a straight line. A record of the species in the municipality of Carmo do Rio Claro, Minas Gerais, mentioned in Beirão et al (2012), was actually mistaken and herein excluded after careful reexamination of the species records' database by the researchers who led the field assessments at that time (F.C. Campos-Neto and M.V.…”

“…Parides burchellanus is endemic to the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) domain in central Brazil, where it occurs in riparian forests along shaded stretches of streams and rivers (Mielke et al 2004;Beirão et al 2012). In the field, its only known host plant is the vine Aristolochia chamissonis Duchartre (Aristolochiaceae) (Mielke et al 2004), which occurs in association with shaded patches of undisturbed stream and riverbank soil.…”

“…In the field, its only known host plant is the vine Aristolochia chamissonis Duchartre (Aristolochiaceae) (Mielke et al 2004), which occurs in association with shaded patches of undisturbed stream and riverbank soil. From a population study carried out in the municipality of Brumadinho, central Minas Gerais state, Beirão et al (2012) observed that P. burchellanus showed strong association to riparian forests, along which adult individuals performed linear movements, being however absent from several other seemingly suitable sites, as well as its host plant. Habitat and host plant specificity are considered the main determinants of the rarity and patchy occurrence of P. burchellanus in nature (Tyler et al 1994;Mielke et.…”