.• .. ' ,.' ... J.· �.;i.. ) . Catej¡'fJPlar$�ªs.9naIityin a central Br�li� .cerrado �"�::t7rT-��;,'tP;·'",; · �----�r-�-:·-;':---·�'""F::" ���-�- - ._--���-�-�.. �' .:,.._--- ._.. i_��• ..• ,�=,_ .... H�lena c .. .MoJ!ai�l,IvóneR.·Diniz2andDelanoM. S. Silval , Dep�e��Q deEcologi� Univ�rsicl�e de �r�Qia, 70910-900Bras ilia, DP, B,rasil. E-lIllIil;morais@�nb.br 2 bepaÍt�efitb" qéZoologia, UiMeJ'Sidade., deÍlrás �. I!.;709JO-9OÓ&í;¡Isíliá,))F, Brasil �l" E-mái}:; [email protected] , ,.�¡. , "�:�J '1-' ,. -' , t '¡'J�¡ . ,,'1 ' ;. �._ ; ,c: , , ""i:tl" 1'1< )� �:.i ,.Rt;�b�"e(Í2�J¡.n�199� .. Coí'Í'ected 2"VII�19�9. .;pcep�ed· 8.�VU"l 999. , " ) ' fb'\i�fltsn.�WJllj.:wmc(\flli'ín!t�,t1Kp· i�fl.tlence.\;¡.·· i:ltJ'UIl'dailOO an4ufe'} ;.' .tr(Jlp.c,aI.·..:l·I iS6l�ts . in ..'s�aIlpn�y ;diy'! .;ttopic�(; . (seiitDeAlingeF0�t�g6;·).W,oi{;t¡l::¡¡; . (lQS$;,j�h.il993 fo�;tef�rences).Maq:yf¡ff>P� .. 1 ", • .JI. 4�Cal�inseé'�'po�al '" .. · �i��,Seasómtt1)N\íántI Yátiationh�;. O�fttt��p;f¿Piréi�t���tbhfai��· ·"'.'· ".. �."Hik, fruhf�ehf�Re$� abun,��:ci¿��ri� 'ifItheW�!,/ seás�n�:·g.t�zem�973; Wi>lda,198��¡1trse� ' ."'. son�:{órest;a.�nim�';;Qrlepi�0Pter¡pl 'speci,�s may diapa�iúl$ . ' 'tarlarV'aeinsidepupªl ;,::cocoo�S��' .. :.���t;th�·f�lo:Wjtig�et " se�oJl¡;('Aiil10,ti99�. iOtliéi�, tt',:'ay.pass�tbe:dry:ij �'tY';"::,;." :'�,}' " f';;��;� 'f:'>;:· . ,,',',: /·;1?> ,�\ . 1026 REVISTA DE BIOLOGÍA TROPICAL studies regarding seasonal actlvltIes of the mation on the vegetation of these sites can be immature stadia of insects. Caterpillar season­ found in Ratter (1980), Felfiliand Silva (1993) ality is particularly evident in the tropical dry and Felfili et al. (1993). forest of Costa Rica, where caterpillar fauna Brasília is at an altitude of approximately fluctuates enorroously in biomass and propor­ 1,000 m and rainfall is concentrated in the six tional species composition within a year months between October and March, with an (Janzen 1993). average monthly precipitation of 207 mm. The In contrast to the various studies for sea­ dry months, from May through September, sonally dry forest of the neotropics, there are have a mean monthly precipitation of 24 mm. no studies of caterpillar seasonality in the The precípitation varíes among years (Fig. la). neotropical savanna. The central Brazilian cer­ Although the majority of the woody cerra­ rado (edaphíc woodland savanna) is highly do plant species are deciduous, flushing their seasonal, with marked wet and dry seasons, new ¡eaves between September and October at and most plant species are only briefly decid­ the beginning of the rainy season (Mantovani uous, despite the accentuated seasonality in and Martins 1988; Morais et al. 1995), this rainfall. The cerrado region exhíbits a very occurs in a gradual asynchronous process rich lepidopteran fauna, with around 1,000 among individuals of the same species and butterfly species (Brown and Mielke 1967). It between species, and many species retain their has been estímated that the moth fauna ranges leaves throughout the dry season (evergreen from 5,000 to 8,000 species (V. O. Becker and semideciduous). Sorne species lose old pers. com.). Plant-herbivore interactions may leaves and flush new ones synchronously, be qualitatively different from those of tropi­ remaining leafless for about one month during cal deciduous forests because leaves remaín the dry season. This is the case for three of the on plants throughout much of the dry season. host plant species examined in the present The present work describes the seasonal study (Erythroxylum deciduum, E. tortuosum abundance of caterpillars, the temporal occur­ and Qualea grandiflora). rence of caterpíllarspecies, and the duration of From April 1991 to April 1993, all cater­ the pupal stage for species collected in the pillars encountered on any dicotyledonous fieId at different times of the year. Thisstudy host plants in 1 ha block at FAL were collect­ represents a first description of the seasonality ed. Starting in May 1993 to May 1995 the of caterpillar abundance for the Brazilian cer­ number of exarnined plant species was rado, and ineludes sorne of the firstdata avail­ reduced to nine. Fifteen individuals of each of able on seasonal variation in species composi­ the nine host plant species in three genera were tion for any animal group in a cerrado area. examined for caterpillars once a week in FAL, JBB and PNB: Byrsonima coccolobifolia (Spr.) Kunth, B. crassa Nied., B. verbascifolia MATERIALS AND METHODS L. Rich. (Malpighiaceae), Erythroxylum deciduum St. Hill, E. suberosum St. Hin, E. The fieId work was conducted in four tonuosum Mart. (Erythroxylaceae), Qua/ea one-ha blocks of cerrado sensu stricto grandifloraMart., Q. multifloraMart. , and Q. (Goodland 1971) withín threepreserved areas parviflora Mart. (Vochysiaceae). For all near Brasília, DF, Brazil (15° 45' S, 47° 50' species, individual plants examined varied W): University of Brasília Experimental Farro from 0.50 to 2.50 m in height. The plants were (Fazenda Água Limpa - FAL), Botanic Garden censused once a weú during morning hours of Brasília (Jardim Botanico de Brasília - from 8:00 to 12:00 amo JBB), and National Park of Brasília (Parque Externally-feeding caterpillars were col­ Nacional de Brasília - PNB). Detailed infor- lected and indivídually reared in plastic jars on MORAIS et aL: Caterpillar seasonality in a central Brazilian cerrado 1027 ¡eaves of the plant on which they were found. and then declined sharply until the lowest abun­ The duration of the pupal stage, and parasitoid dance in early-wet season (October) (Fig. 1b). emergence were accompanied under uncon­ The decrease in caterpillar abundance coincided trolled conditions (temperature, humidity, with thesecond half of the dry season in the cer­ light) in the laboratory. The durations of the rado regíon (Fig. la), during which the host pupal period were pooled by month for each plants are leafless or have senescent leaves species. The monthly means averaged over all (August-S eptember). species were used. This procedure reduces the The most frequent species tended to occur influence of those species that may occur throughout the year (see Table 1 for examples). abundantly during specific months. These multivoltine lepidopteran species belong Caterpillars were classified as morphos­ to various taxonomic groups and may be pecies, but because the identification of mOf­ polyphagous or restricted to one plant genus in phospecies among collectors was not always the study areas (Diniz and Morais 1995, 1997). consistent, for the analyses of temporal species 400 o a x o + Q composition we considered only the species 350 b E a 300 + • -5 + �Mea that emerged as adults. This results in an 250 .� 200 • 5 � 1990 underestimate of species' occurrence. The g 8 ""- ISO • 1991 O " adults were identified by Vitor O. Becker 'H lOO x 1992 o: O (EMBRAPA - Brasília) and Keith S. Brown JI. 50 e 1993 O o 1994 J F M A M J J A S O N D (UNICAMP). Voucher specimens were A 1995 deposited in the Departamento de Zoologia Month Collection at the Universidade de Brasília. b RESULTS Of the approximately 4,000 caterpillars collected in 80 species, 61 genera and 41 farn­ ilies of plants, we successfully reared about JFMAMJ JASOND Month 1,500 lepidopteran adults representing 247 species from 32 families. Lists of species of caterpillars and their host plants are presented c by _ Diniz and Morais (1995). One-hundred­ fifty-one (61 %) of the 247 lepidopteran species occurred at low density (Iess than four times in four years). Between May 1993 and 1995, we con­ ducted censuses of nine host plants JFMAMJ JASOND 10,800 Month species, 15% of which had externalIy-feeding Fíg. 1. A) Mean monthly precípitatíon for Brasília, DF, caterpillars. The 137 lepidopteran species (24 Brazil (1980-1995). Data from the IBGE meteorological farnilies) reared from the three genera of cer­ station. Mean annual precipítation:l,469mm; Mean annu­ rado host plants during the quantitative survey al temperatura=2 ! o C. B) Percentage of plants wíth cater­ are listed in Diniz and Morais (1997). pillars. C) Precentage of caterpillar (unit used=plant with Caterpillar abundance (expressed as the caterpillars) from which parasitoids emerged. Data for B and e were collected between May 1993 and May 1995 in propmtion of plants with caterpillars) increased cerrado areas near Brasília. nine host plant species were sharply in mid-April and remained high until examined: Byrsonima spp. (3), Erythroxylumspp. (3), and mid-July, during the first half of the dry season, Qua/ea spp. (3). Theshaded area represents the dryseason. 1028 REVISTA DE BIOLOGÍA TROPICAL TABLE 1 Lepidopteran species and the occurrence of their caterpillars during the year in the cerrado sensu stricto of the Federal District, Brazil. The period between May to September corresponds to the dry season. M o n t h Family Species J F MA OND Oecophoridae Cerconota achatina (Zeller, 1855) x x x x x x x Hesperiidae Chiomara punctum (Mabille, 1878) x x x x x x Geometridae Cye/omia mopsaria (Guenée, 1857) x x x x x x Dalceridae Dalcerina tijucana (Schaus, 1892) x x x x Lyrnantriidáe Eloria subapicalis (Walker, 1855) x x x x x x x Arctiidae Fregela semi/una (Walker, 1854) x x x x x x x Oecophoridae Gonioterma indecora (Zeller, 1854) x x x Oecophoridae lnga haemataula (Meyrick, 1912) x x x Sphingidae lsognathus caricae (Linnaeus, 1764) x x x x x x x Megalopygidae Megalopyge albicollis (Walker, 1855) x x x Limacodidae Phobetron hipparchia (Cramer, 1777) x x x Oecophoridae Stenoma sp. x x x x Oecophoridae Stenoma staudingerana (Maassen, 1890) x x x x x Nymphalidae Siderone marthesia nemesis (Illiger, [1801]) x x x x x x Urodidae Urodus sp. x x Oecophoridae Eonichla sp. x Megalopygidae Trosia dimas (Cramer, 1775) x Mimallonidae Mimallonidae sp.