Butterflies richness (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) from Ilha Grande National Park, Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

Insects of the Lepidoptera order play an important role in ecosystems, due to the various interactions established with plants, such as pollination, and with other animals. In addition, they constitute important models for biogeography and insect/plant interactions studies, which make them essential tools for the natural reserve management. Thus, the present study aimed to carry out an inventory of butterflies at Ilha Grande National Park, an important Conservation Unit in the Paraná State, South of Brazil. The sampling was carried out from February to November 2019, comprising three collection campaigns, during five days each and field effort of six people, totaling about 15 days and 60 hours, on six islands in the park. There were collected 147 individuals of 63 species, distributed in 6 families, with Nymphalidae presenting the greatest richness (45 species) and greatest abundance (93 individuals).