Análise faunística de Saturniidae (Lepidoptera: Bombycoidea) coletados em dossel na Floresta Nacional do Tapajós, Pará, Brasil

Abstract

Among the families that make up the superfamily Bombycoidea, Saturniidae stands out for presenting the greatest diversity. Studies indicate approximately 3,454 known species worldwide, with at least 475 in Brazil. The objective of this work was to conduct a faunistic study of moths of the family Saturniidae in the canopy of a dense ombrophiles forest area. The study was conducted in the Tapajós National Forest (FLONA do Tapajós) on federal highway BR-163 (Santarém-Cuiabá direction), using the triangular tower (02º51'23.3" S and 54º57'31.0" W) of the Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Program in the Amazon (LBA) as the sampling unit. Samplings were taken monthly from January to December 2023, during the waning and/or new moon period during one night. The moths were captured at a height of 45 meters using a light trap and taken to the Laboratório de Estudos de Lepidópteros Neotropicais at UFOPA for species tracking and identification. The parameters evaluated in this study were: composition, abundance (N), richness (S), Shannon diversity index (H'), Shannon evenness (J), and Berger- Parker dominance (BP); in addition, a species accumulation curve was constructed. Accordingly, 20 specimens (N) were captured, distributed across 9 species (S) and 3 subfamilies (Arsenurinae, Ceratocampinae, and Hemileucinae). The results obtained were: H' = 1.86, J = 0.85, and BP = 0.40. The most abundant species were Hylesia melanostigma (Herrich-Schäffer, 1855) with 6 specimens and Dirphia panamensis (Schaus, 1921) with 4. In May, the highest abundance (N = 8) and species richness (S = 3) were obtained, represented by the subfamily Hemileucinae. The species accumulation curve did not reach asymptote. Therefore, this study contributes to increasing knowledge of the distribution of this family in the western region of Pará, since the importance of this work lies in recording the Saturniidae fauna in the forest canopy and, consequently, the Amazonian diversity.